DoOver: One Last Chance
by Epic Otaku Cherry
Summary: Everyday Madara and "Tobi"/"Masked Madara" are only getting stronger; the Edo Tensei more and more troublesome; and Sasuke more insane. Seeing this, Edo!Itachi sends Sakura, and a few others, back to where this all started - the Chunin Exams.
1. Chapter 1: Message: Meeting

**Hey! For those of you who read my other story/stories and doubt this is going to be all that great, give this story a chance. I am a new writer again! I'm better than I was!**

Couples:  
Eventual SasuSaku, NaruHina, SaIno, SuiKa,ShikaTema, GaaMatsu, NejiTen. Eventual, people. Not right away.

**Short chapter today, peeps.****  
**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sora would've been in the manga and had trained with Naruto and Killer Bee to control Kurama's chakra. Seriously.**

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Chapter 1: Message; Meeting

**Sakura POV**

"Sakura!" I heard my shishou call me name. Turning to her, I noticed that her hair was out of their pigtails, her Yin Seal was released, and she had a gaping hole in her abdomen.

"Tsunade-shishou!" I said. "I thought you were fighting the original Madara?"

Stumbling falling to the ground she replied, "I was. Oonoki and Gaara gave me an opportunity to escape temporarily."

Attempting to heal her wounds, I asked the question that I've been wondering about for a while. "But what are you doing here? Why did you need to escape? Did…Itachi…call you, too?"

The previous night, Itachi had somehow appeared in my dream.

**FLASHBACK NO JUTSU**

"_Sakura…Sakura…can you see me?"_

"_Itachi! What the heck are you doing here, in my mind! While I'm dreaming?"_

_We were in a black void of nothingness. Darkness everywhere you looked. Somehow, we were able to see each other just fine._

"_Do you know about the Uchiha Massacre? The truth?"_

_Looking down at my lap, since I was sitting on an imaginary chair, I bit my lip. "Yeah. I found the files and showed them to Tsunade. The rest of the kages know. Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato found out from 'Masked Madara' and told Sai and Shikamaru."_

"_When the sun begins to set tomorrow, I need you to meet me where you and Hatake fought Momochi and Haku. There will be others to meet you there. I will also be there."_

"_But why?" I asked, curious._

"_I can't say yet. Just do it."_

"…_Alright. And, I'm sorry."_

"_For what?" He may not have shown much emotion on his face, but I was able to identify puzzlement. He was honestly confused as to why I would be apologizing._

"_Even though I knew something was fishy about the massacre and I knew that the elders weren't as innocent as they seem, I did nothing about it, and hated you. I hated you when you were a hero. I was wrong and for that I'm sorry."_

"…_It's alright. Now, wake up. Hatake's trying to wake you up."_

_In the distance, I heard Kakashi-sensei's voice._

"_-kura. Sakura, wake up already! Don't make my pour water on you; you know I'll do it."_

_And I woke up to see Kakashi-sensei holding an open canteen of ice water over my face. _

_I punched him._

**FLASHBACK NO JUTSU: RELEASE!**

"He did. And I trust him. I just wonder who the others are that he mentioned, though." Tsunade started sitting up, since I couldn't continue healing her, as I was nearly out of chakra.

Suddenly, I heard other voices. Familiar ones.

"Ugly! Tsunade-sama!" Definitely Sai.

"Forhead!" "Sakura-chan!" "Sakura-san." Ino-pig, Tenten, and Hinata.

"Sakura!" "Lady Tsunade!" It was Temari and Matsuri.

"Nice to see everyone is here. Now to business." Itachi formed out of crows to the front of the clearing we were in.  
Since the battles are constantly moving, this area doesn't seemed to have been touched since Kakashi-sensei and I sealed Haku and Zabuza. I kept his sword and Haku gave his hair clip to me, saying it'd be of better use to me.

"Do you all know about the truth of the Uchiha Massacre?" Itachi continued, looking at each of us.

Everyone nodded, so he cleared his throat and moved on.

"The outcome of the war, it seems like, is going to end with the Madaras on top. Unfortunately, the only way to stop the Edo Tensei either A) have each spirit rest in peace like Sasori and Chiyo. B) Seal every one of the revived away, even though Kabuto might get more. He can get tons of vessels with all the dead bodies lying around. Or C) get Kabuto to willingly stop the jutsu. It won't end if we kill him.

But he isn't going to do that. So I have an idea."

"And what is that?" Matsuri asked, wondering what else there could be done.

"As an Akatsuki member, I was easily able to get my hands on many forbidden or secret jutsu scroll. In one of my findings, I found a jutsu that could send others back in time, meaning the user and some others, as long as there are close and the jutsu is directed at them when it's performed. And it can only send you back in time, since the future hasn't happened yet."

Tsunade looked…well….I don't know. I can't read her. "Are you saying you want to send us back in time? At what cost would a jutsu like that be payed?"

"The user will be incredibly weak after the jutsu is performed as will the time travelers at their desired time. Some events may also change slightly, but not greatly."

"Will the travel affect the travelers?" This time it was Sai. Judging by his face, I knew he was thinking about his brother, and if he can save him.

"Yes. When you go back you won't be as strong as you are now. Your strength will be sealed, for lack of better words. Not all of it though, so you will be at least _slightly _stronger than you were at the time you landed in.

"Also, deaths will more or less be the same. If it was a death close to a traveler, it may happen earlier than it did originally, but it will still happen. Such as your brother, Sai, or your parents Sakura. By the time you arrive, they may have already died. But there may be stopping it."

I looked down at that. My parents had died during the Invasion during the Chunin Exams. They were coming back to the village from spending time with friends when there were killed by one of the large snakes summoned by Orochimaru. As they were not ninja, they couldn't fight back.

"Like I said, some deaths may be avoided. Each traveler will find themselves with a scroll when they land in the past. The scroll can't be lost; it will always be with you.

**(1)**

"The scroll will list any changes, like the ones I mentioned. Battle results will also stay the same."

At this, Tenten cocked her head. "What do you mean by that?"

"For example; the Chunin Exams. You fought Temari-san, right? And lost? You will still lose if you go back. Likely with the same move."

Tenten rubbed her back, remembering the move that took her out. "Damn it, that hurt!"

"Hehe, sorry Tenten." Temari apologized.

"Um, Itachi-san?" asked Matsuri.

"Yes?"

"How far will we be going back?"

"The preliminaries of the Chunin Exams. I don't have the chakra to send you back any farther. By the way, I know about the Chunin Exams and the results from searching your memories when I visited you in your dreams. Sorry, but it was necessary."

I was shocked. I thought, even though he didn't say it, that he wanted us to save Sasuke! "I thought you wanted us to save Sasuke and stop him from leaving the village! How are we going to do that if we go back? He already had the curse mark by then."

Calmly, he answered. "I will remove it like I did when we fought. Matsuri, when Gaara returns to Suna after the Invasion, I want you to become his friend. The sooner, the better. Don't tell him that you're from the future, but if you're friends, it will help in the long run. His strength is valuable"

Then Itachi turned to Tsunade-shishou. "I need you to stay wherever you were during the Invasion, and let Jiraiya and Naruto retrieve you like they originally did. You may tell Shizune. And Tonton." He added the last part, just in case; since Tonton is so close to Tsunade and you should never underestimate an animal.

Then he turned to Sai. "You must attend the preliminaries, as Danzo's eyes, or something. The closer you get to the others in the past, the sooner we can get rid Danzo, since he is your boss."

Then to me. "Sakura, do whatever it takes to make Sasuke stay and stay sane. If you can, I need all of you to kill Orochimaru as soon as possible. No matter how long it takes."

To all of us. "I will try to change it so Karin was not picked up by Orochimaru in the Forest of death. We can use her skills if she's on our side. I will retrieve Suigetsu and Jugo from his hideout; their abilities will prove to be useful and if we can study Jugo, we might find a way to get rid of the Curse Seal of the Heavens. You may tell the 3rd Hokage of everything, but otherwise keep it a secret. If there are no questions, I will proceed with the jutsu."

No one had any more questions.

Itachi activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and started a flurry of hand signs.

Finally, he shouted, "Ninpo: Jikan Ryokō-Jutsu!" **(2)**

I was blinded in a shower of white light.

* * *

Next I knew, I heard Kabuto's voice. "…I quit."

I looked around. Sasuke's determined look, my bruises, my newly cut hair, Hayate Gekko, alive, and talking in front of me.

I was back to the preliminaries of the Chunin Exams!

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**(1):** Think of Riptide from Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Like that.**  
(2):** literally, "Shinobi Technique: Time Travel

**Itachi**** will explain the jutsu, but if you have any questions, just ask. You'll get what I mean after you read.**

**There will be music in my story, but not any time soon.**

**They won't look in their scrolls anytime soon. Again, you'll understand after you read.**

**Read and Review!**


	2. And It Begins…Again Déjà Vu, Much?

**Here's this week's chapter! I'd usually try to wait for Wednesday's if I can because that's the day Naruto updates in my area. But I couldn't wait. **

**This chapter isn't long today either. Don't worry, they'll get longer as the story progresses.**

**Disclaimer****: If I owned Naruto, Naruto would at least be falling out of love with Sakura by now. Or better, not in love with her at all anymore. Then, he'd start to fall for Hinata. Besides: Kishimoto-sensei is much to great to be compared to a lowly person like me. He's way too amazing.**

_This _=Sakura's younger inner.

_**This**_= Sakura's older inner.

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Chapter 2: And It Begins…Again. Déjà Vu, Much?

**Sakura POV**

I stumbled, catching my bearings and feeling the weariness that my body felt after The Forest of Death and from the war. As I looked up, Hayate finished his instructions, meaningI already tried to get Sasuke to quit because of the Curse Mark. So he's not in the greatest mood.

"Any questions?" Hayate asked, looking around. As I looked behind Lord Hokage, I saw a red haired girl standing behind Anko. I realized that was Karin. The fact that she was there must mean the Time Travel changed the fact the she was picked up by Orochimaru. Or someone saved her.

"No? Then-"

"Wait!" a voice called, coming through the entrance of the room we were in.

It was Sai!

Huh. He didn't change much. Just shorter with a more child-like face.

"Who are you?" Asked our proctor.

"My name is…Sai. I am a member of the ANBU; ROOT to be precise. I am here to record the preliminaries for Lord Danzo and the other elders to see, if you don't mind. It would also be for the Kazekage and Feudal Lords to view, if they wish. Do you mind if I put up cameras and took notes as the fights go on, Lord Hokage?"

Ino immediately brightened up when she saw him. I remembered she had a crush on him.

"Go ahead, Sai." Replied the Third.

"Arigato." With that, he bowed and jumped to corners of the room and other areas, placing cameras there. "The cameras don't break easily, so when fighting, don't even think about them."

When he was done, he went to stand beside Kakashi-sensei, nodding at him respectfully. Suddenly I rememberd; Kakashi saw him around when he was in root, so that would make him Sai's senpai.

"Hey, wait a minute!" shouted Naruto.

"What? *cough*" asked Hayate.

"Why isn't that Sai guy taking the exams? He's our age right? Or has he already taken it? Does he even have a squad?"

I sighed. Geez, Naruto. He's ANBU remember? Though that was actually a pretty good question.

Hayate also sighed, but then coughed. "*cough* Sai is in ANBU's Root, the Foundation, as it's known. He could be above Chunin level, but I don't know the details. Sai, could you explain, please?"

Sai nodded. "In Root, we are trained from an early age, going through different types of tests and battles to measure our strength. Usually we are taken straight from the academy. We continue training until we reach the last and final test. The purpose of the test is to both eradicate the last of our emotions and finally prove ourselves worthy of becoming an official ROOT ANBU member."

"Were you one of the ones that attended the academy?"

"Yes, I graduate when I was 9 and was promoted to Chunin at 10. I'm 13 by the way." Gasps of surprise filled the room; people wondered how strong this kid really was, to have become Chunin at 10 only.

Throughout this whole monologue, Sai's expression didn't change. _**"Outer, remember, the last exam is to kill your friend(s). So Sai just lost his emotions."**__"Hey, who are you? An older me?"_

**O.M.G.** I have 2 Inners! And I though one was enough. I figured it was since I came from the future, my future Inner came along for the ride.

As Older!Inner explained what the hell is going on to Younger!Inner, I was up on the rails and watching Sasuke and Yoroi Akado fight; Hayate had already begun the matches.

Nothing in the fight had changed, obviously, but I tried to act the way I did when I first saw it; surprised, and worried about Sasuke-kun.

Yes, I still call him that. And yeah, I still love him. I'm not planning on telling him. My priority is to keep Sasuke-kun here. As I watched the fight, I recalled my deal with Itachi, the one I made right before I landed here.

**FLASHBACK NO JUTSU**!

"_Wait!" I called Itachi as I felt myself blackout._

"_Yeah?"_

"_I need you to agree with these terms. In return, I help Sasuke-kun stay."_

"_And those terms are…?"_

"_You need to come back to Konoha and _not_ fight Sasuke! Come and clear things up with him! You were the main contributor to his leaving! Please, if he kills you then finds out the truth-because I know it'll happen-the future will happen all over again! Our efforts will be wasted!" I looked at him, straight into his eyes of the Sharingan._

_As I watched him contemplate, I began to feel myself…"wake up" . He needs to hurry!_

Then, he nodded. "_Alright. I will, but it won't be easy."_

_With that, I relaxed and let myself be pulled back to the past._

**FLASHBACK NO JUTSU: RELEASE!**

By the time I was back into the rest of the world, I found Hayate declaring Shino the winner in his match against Zaku. Nothing too new, I was only surprised that I spaced out that long. Then again, Shino's fight wasn't very long.

As Kankuro's fight against Misumi went on, I locked eyes with Ino. Suddenly, I heard her voice in my head.

"_Hey, it works! Ready for our match, Forehead? It's too bad neither of us can win, cuz I would totally kick your butt if the outcome could change."_

She was referring to the jutsu she developed in the future, allowing her to speak in other people's minds; hardly using any chakra at all. The more times she's spoken in the mind, the less chakra it'll take to do it again. She doesn't even use chakra for going into my head; she's done it enough times.

She calls it; Ninpo: Telepathy. How original.

"_Yeah, right Pig. You and I both know that I'm stronger than you, but I do agree that it is too bad that I can't kick your ass."_

"_Oh, shove it. It's our turn now, come on!"_

As I headed to the stairs, I just realized that Sai had been standing, watching the battles with me and Ino-pig's group and Lee this whole time. How did I not notice that?

As Ino headed to the stairs, Sai uttered, "Good luck" to her and she blushed. When Shikamaru saw this, he raised his eyebrows in curiosity.  
I know what he's wondering. "Last I checked, she was into Sasuke. Why is she suddenly into this guy? Whom she doesn't even know?" Great Ino-pig. Way to make him suspicious of us. Or you at least.

"Are you girls ready for this?" asked Hayate.

"Ready as we'll ever be!" We said, surprisingly, in unison. Our stare-off hadn't broken, however.

"Alright. *cough**cough* Begin!"


	3. Sakura vs Ino: Rematch

**Yo! Here's the new chapter! I hope _someone _is reading this. A review once in a while would be great!**

**Don't worry; the chapters are getting longer as they progress. **

**ATTENTION:**

**I got rid of Sakura's second Inner. So she only has one. Just want to get that out in the clear so no one is confused.**

**_This_= An Inner.  
**

****_This= _Thinking.

This= Ino speaking THROUGH Sakura's body.

_This= _Ino's telepathy.

__This= Normal.

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Chapter 3: Sakura vs. Ino: Rematch

**Sai POV**

Hm… If I remember right, Ugly told me that this fight ended in a draw. Too bad. I was hoping that Beautiful win, I sort of like her better. Ugly suspects that I have a "crush" on her. I don't know though. I wonder…

**Tenten POV**

I hope they're going to put up a more interesting fight this time. Not that the first time wasn't, but still. Hold on! Wait a second…

Oh crap. Neji vs. Hinata and me vs. Temari is coming up soon. Damnit! _My back…_

**Temari POV**

Perfect. My brothers are already suspicious of me. Are they really that paranoid? Then again, Gaara says my aura is...lighter. Weirdo. The real problem is how I'm going to keep Gaara as sane as possible, keep my brothers less suspicious of me, and keep Gaara from killing me. Damnit! The others have it better off!

**Sakura POV**

"I have been waiting so long for this pig! It's too bad I can't go all out, if you know what I mean." I taunted.

"Same here, but I might as well give them a good show, right?" She motioned her head to the rails.

"Right." We slowly circling each other, and I had three kunai in my left hand.

"By the way, I have news. Guys, you might want to hear this!" Ino announced, talking to her team.

"I, Ino Yamanaka," started Ino. "Am officially over Sasuke Uchiha. I have no romantic interest in him whatsoever. Period. Alright! Now, Forehead, let's do this!" And with that, she charged at me, throwing 3 kunai and my head.

As I dodged them, I allowed myself a second to gouge everyone's reactions.

Chouji had dropped his last bag of chips and was choking on the ones in his mouth; Asuma-sensei-it's so weird to see him alive - barely managed to keep his cigarette in his mouth and was trying to help Chouji stop choking; Shikamaru's mouth was open with his eyes wide, looking at Ino as if she had 3 heads; Naruto was slapping himself- to "wake himself up", I assume- and Kakashi had his one visible eye wide. Sai was just confused. That's normal.  
As for Team Gai, Tenten already knew; Neji had his eyebrow raised in curiousity; and Lee seemed as if he didn't hear her, or didn't really care. He was watching our fight. Rooting for me of course.

While heading for Ino, I took off my headband and threw it to the side while pulling 4 senbon from my weapons' pouch. As we neared each other, I threw them at her, and she ducked and flipped, catching them. After that, we basically started a hand-to-hand, close-combat fight; throwing hard punches and swift kicks, trying to tire the other out. It was working, but we got tired of it.

"Ino-pig, let's spice things up a bit. This is getting ridiculous." As I said this, I was gathering my chakra, healing small injuries slowly in the process, so the spectators didn't notice.

"Agreed. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" 2 clones appeared beside her and they ran at me; one jumping above me, the other sliding across the floor to me; and the real Ino just flat out charging again.

I flipped backwards, and when my feet were within distance of the clone that went above me, and kicked it, hard, causing it to disappear in a cloud of smoke.

**_What is she planning? She didn't do this last time._**

_Are you going to shut up so I can think up a plan or something?_

**_Sure._**

Suddenly, I felt a nick on my left leg. (I had already landed on the ground and gotten rid of the second clone)

I looked up from my leg, which had a small cut on it, and looked up. There, Ino was grinning, holding up the kunai that she nicked me with.

_Shit! We forgot about the original Ino!_

Trying to run toward her, attempting to throw a punch at her, I realized that I couldn't move my entire left leg. Feeling another prick, I looked down to my other leg, fearing the worst.

_She got me again._

Because of the lack of mobility, I collapsed onto my chest, gasping when I hit the concrete.

"Wondering why you can't move? I used a paralysis poison; something I'm sure you're familiar with. Now that you're immobile, I can use _this_!" Ino-pig performed the hand-signs for her family's signature technique; Shintenshin no Jutsu, then collapsed a few seconds after.

**(a/n: was that the Japanese term for it?)**

_Shit! Come on body, move! Not._  
**_You do realize I can take over and move, right? _**  
_Duh! I just didn't want to cuz I want to get this over with, and let Ino use her jutsu._  
**_But why?_**_  
Old times' sake, and we're running out of chakra. I'm tired and-_  
_"Hey, Forehead, Forehead's Inner. What up?"  
**Uhh…hi?**  
Is your Inner in your body pretending to be unconscious?_

**(A/n: Ino developed one later on. It didn't show up much, but she still got one.)**

**(A/n: for this part, the underline with italics is Ino speaking to Sakura's Inner or Sakura, and just italics is Sakura like for the rest of the story. Not Inner!Sakura but just Sakura. Bold w/ italics is Inner Sakura, and non-italics with underlines is Ino speaking FROM Sakura's body to the outside world. )**

_ Yup. Now I'm going to make you raise your hand and try to get you to say you to quit, but you guys are going to stop me (or Naruto) before I could finish. Then we'll be dramatic in your process of throwing me out of your mind. Got it?  
**Roger.  
**Got it._

"I, Sakura Haruno," 'Sakura' spoke, raising her hand. "Would like to with-"

"NO!" shouted Naruto. "Sakura, what are you doing?"

"Idiot," drawled Shikamaru. "That's not Sakura; it's Ino. Her clan's jutsu allows her soul to inhabit another's body and take control of it. I already explained that."

"I know, but-"

By then I stopped listening since I had to fake a struggle in my brain.

"No…Sakura…ahhh!"  
"Get…out…of..my…head..PIG!" and with that, I yelled due to the effort to get her out, and fell to my knees, panting.

Ino, in her own body was getting up, shakily. When she looked up, she had a frightened look on her face, slowly walking back as if I was a hungry lion she needed to get away from.

"W-w-what a-are y-you? There's 2 of you in there! You can't have an extra soul! Are you even human?" she shrieked, effectively getting the others to believe her and to look at me, with variations of fear, amusement, curiosity, and interest.

I smirked. "Is that all you got? I told you before and I'll tell you again. That jutsu won't work on me, hun. My head is off limits, and I mean it. Nothing but me and the other me you found in there. Just for you guys up there, the other me is who I call, 'Inner Sakura.' Naruto, she comes out half the time I beat on you." At that Naruto got it and nodded his understanding. Kakashi also understood. And Sasuke, who I just noticed had been there for our entire fight just looked indifferent. **_Maybe he recovered sooner from sealing the Curse Seal and came to watch the matches._**

_Maybe._

"*pant**pant* You know what, Billboard Brow? Let's just end this in one move, we're both exhausted and nearly out of chakra." Ino had already gotten over the "fear-stricken shock" and was walking toward me.

I also panted, facing her. Then, I picked up my head band and placed it around my forehead, symbolizing that I acknowledge myself as a true kunoichi now. Ino saw me and did the same.

"One move," I got out. "One more move and it's over. Got it."

Then, we ran at each other, each having a fist up to punch the other with. Just like last time, we hit each other at the same time and were both sent backwards; Ino farther than me as I had sent a little chakra in my punch. Also like last name, we both tried getting up, and fell unconscious.

My last thought was,_ Hoped they liked our little performance._

**Normal POV**

Hayate went over to Ino and Sakura's bodies, naming them both unconscious and the match a draw. Naruto jumped over to retrieve Sakura, and Sai had to restrain himself from getting Ino.

_I'm not supposed to know them already. Damn! (Was that the correct curse word to use in this situation? Better ask Temari...) This mission is going to be harder than it looks, _he thought.

Instead, Asuma retrieved Ino's body. By the time the set the girls down, they were waking up, just in time to hear Hayate announce the next match; Tenten vs. Temari.

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**That's all for the week! **

**Don't forget to review!**

**If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!**


	4. Temari vs Tenten: Yet Another Rematch

**Hey! Happy Fourth of July (American Independence Day)! **

**New chapter today!**

**Did anyone read the new Naruto chapter? That's why I update on Wednesdays; that's when the Naruto manga updates for me.**

**Short chap, but they get longer as they go on.**

**Thanks for the reviews! Keep them up!**

**Since it was Neji's b-day yesterday (July 3rd), I'll let him do the disclaimer.**

**Neji: I feel honored. *sarcastic***

**Me: Shut up. Just do it.**

**Neji: If Epic Otaku Cherry owned Naruto, my fate would be with Tenten. Period. Oh, and she and I would get more screen time and Tenten more character development.**

**Me: Thanks, Neji!**

**Now get to readin' and reviewin'!**

* * *

Chapter 4: Temari vs. Tenten: Yet Another Rematch

**Normal POV**

Hayate was about to start the match when he noticed how the girls were looking at each other; almost playfully, but determined; as if they knew each other enough to tease the other. _But how could they know each other? This is their first time taking the exams and they didn't meet in the Forest of Death. Something odd is going on here, starting with that ROOT kid…_  
He shook his head. _Now's not the time for that. I need to do my job; I can talk to Lord Hokage later._

"*cough* You girls *cough* may begin the match." And with that, Hayate retreated to a safer area of the arena.

Temari smirked at Tenten. "You goin' to put up a better fight this time? Our last battle was no fun", she taunted.

"Hmph. You know it! I've been waiting forever for this day!" Tenten sent Temari a look that said, _What are you doing? We're not supposed to know each other.  
_Temari smirked, giving Tenten the answer she needed. _Messing with them, of course_

Temari pulled her fan out, remembering that they had a match to fight. "Then prove it! Show me what you got!" She charged.

"Hmph." Tenten jumped into the air, throwing 4 shuriken, at Temari.  
Dodging, Temari jumped and tried to take a swipe at her opponent, surprised when her fan was met with a Bo stick. "Not so fast, _Temari_."

"Tch. If you think you got me you are dead wrong! Wind Style: Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Tenten hurried to avoid it, remembering that it was what had cost her her battle last time.

"Not this time!" She quickly summoned a large sword, and arched it down with all her strength, trying to cut the wind currents so she isn't caught up in it again. Surprisingly, it worked.

**(a/n: Think of _Inuyasha_. Inuyasha's sword Tetsaiga, and the attack, Wind Scar. Sort of like that, except she was cutting the wind itself, not summoning it for the attack.)**

Noticing the surprised look of the viewers, Tenten smugly said, "Just because I tend to throw weapons, doesn't mean I don't know how to use them correctly, you know."

"Impressive, cutting the wind current. But that won't protect you from me!" Temari was using her fan almost like a sword, and Tenten was blocking and parrying each one with her own sword, trying to cut her in the process.

Then, Tenten suddenly felt a wall behind her, she gasped. _Fuck! I totally forgot I was near a wall! Now she has me trapped! Damn it!_

Seeing Tenten's slightly panicked and worried expression, Temari smirked. "I told you, a large sword isn't going to protect you from me. Now, again. Wind Style: Wind Scythe!"

Just like the first time they fought, Tenten was encased in a cocoon of wind. The longer she was in it, the higher she was raised. Finally, she plummeted to the ground, her back hitting Temari's fan, bending at an angle that obviously wasn't natural.

Coughing up blood, she slipped off to the ground and just lied there. Staring at the ceiling. _At least I'm still conscious. But still, this HURTS. And I can't move much of anything bedsides my neck and face. Ugh._

"Tenten-chan!" Lee jumped of the rail and picked up her teammate. "Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere! Do you need anything? How are you feeling?"

Chuckling, and then groaning because it hurt, she replied, "Sorta. Everywhere but mostly my back. A paramedic would be great and I can't move anything but my face and neck. I'm paralyzed, I guess."

Lee then turned to glare at Temari. He was about to say something when Temari interrupted him. "Glaring at me isn't going to fix anything, kid. You might want to take care of that little friend of yours, she seems pretty injured to me. To anyone, really."

She was sneering, although on the inside, she was thinking, _Hm. Maybe keeping this façade on won't be all that hard. I just need to keep Gaara satisfied though. _She snuck a look at her brother, seeing his bloodthirsty expression. _Maybe I can interfere in his fight against Lee so he isn't hurt as badly. No…I don't think that'll work. Damn! What am I going to do?_

Hayate just took a glance at Tenten and said, "Tenten is unable to continue, Temari is the winner. Like you needed me to say that." He mumbled the last part so no one could hear him. For his, no one did.

After Lee took his teammate to the stands (a paramedic partially healed her enough to watch the rest of the matches since she didn't want to leave), their proctor announced the next match.

"The next and 6th match is Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi."

In the stands, many could hear a certain brunette mutter, "How troublesome."

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**REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, AND PM!**

**I might be generous and update again in 2 days. Kin's birthday is on the 6th, and today's the 4th. So... **

**Maybe if I get a review, I'll do it! ****


	5. Chapter 5: Hyuuga ReMatch!

**Hey, everyone! I'm updating for the second time this week! Why? Today is Kin's b-day, and I wanted to have her match today. Even though you don't even see it, and you barely get a sentence on it, that's beside the point! **

**Be happy I'm updating already, please!**

**Oh, and about chapter 3 (I think) when Ino was speaking through Sakura's body, there was supposed to be underlines and Italics and stuff, but they turned everything bold. Sorry.**

**Kin! Disclaimer!**

**Kin: Fine, fine, geez. Epic Otaku Cherry doesn't own Naruto. If she did, it never would have been as incredible as Kishimoto-sama's anyway. Oh, and Happy Birthday to me!**

**EOC: Thanks, Kin. **

**Now scroll down and read! Oh, and review!**

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Chapter 5: Hyuuga (Re)Match!

**Sai POV**

Wow. I missed all this? I can't believe how easily and quickly Shikamaru won his match. And now are Kiba and Naruto. I didn't know Kiba had that many smoke bombs. Maybe he likes them. I need to check my book; maybe it says something about this…oh right. I forgot I don't have any books. Thank goodness I have a lot of money from ROOT. Being ruled under a power-hungry psychopath with high authority really comes in handy sometimes.

**(*A little later*)**

…Ugly was right. Naruto was even more of an idiot in the past. _I just didn't want to believe that it was possible. I mean, he's a great person and all but seriously…_

By just looking in Neji's eyes, I can see his hatred. Isn't it bad to hate family? Family is supposed to love each other; that's what my books from the future said.  
I guess there are exceptions. Like Madara and "Masked Madara"/"Tobi" with their resent toward the Uchiha clan. But they're insane. Does that make Neji insane, then?

Hmm…now I have to start over completely on learning human emotions. I'm even more clueless than I was before.

Hopefully Ugly, Beautiful, and the others can help me with the whole "experience" thing.

**Hinata POV**

I'm only walking down the stairs and I'm nervous. I already gave Naruto and Kiba their ointments, at least, but I'm still scared about my fight with Neji. You'd think that I wouldn't be. Guess not.

Sakura said that according to the paramedics, and that I only "had 10 minutes" by the time they got to me last time and God-knows what would've happened.

**(a/n: in the anime, the medics DID say 10 minutes. I remember that)**

_Stop this! You can't be talking like this! Like a quitter! That's against your nindo! And you still have a future to save. You will do your best and prove to the world that you're not a failure! Come on!_

"Neji, Hinata, you may begin your match."

_Here's your time to prove to everyone your strength! If Itachi entrusted you to this mission, the least you can do is put up a good fight here to prove you're worthy._

Here Neji comes!

**Tenten POV**

Shit! Is this what their match was like? I knew it was bad but Neji was brutal! It's amazing that Hinata's doing so well, with her exhaustion of the future and present, not to mention most of her chakra and abilities are sealed so her level isn't much above what it was in this present.

Hmph. Since Neji's being such a jerk, I'll cheer for Hinata. I know he'll get pissed off, but so what?

"YEAH! Go Hina! Hi-na! Hi-na!" I smirked at Neji when he snuck a glance at me and glared when he realized that it was me cheering for his cousin. I don't know what I should do for the rest of my payback, though.  
Hm…

**Hinata POV**

Strike. Duck.

Strike. Kick.

Dodge. Attempt to hit an artery.

Dodge again. Get hit.

Close tenketsu. Strike.

This went on for a while, me trying not to get myself killed and put up a better fight than the previous time.

Come on me! You can do thi- "Gakh!" Shit! Neji hit my heart again! Or close to it.

I flew backwards from the hit, wiping blood from my mouth. I skid on my knees, then rose to my feet for the landing.

"I told you already Hinata-sama. People cannot change. Once a failure, always a failure." My cousin sneered.

"*cough* Stop speaking nonsense Neji!" I shouted at him; or attempted to. My voice is naturally soft and the last strike Neji had given me _really _hurt. A lot. It's amazing I'm standing. "You know as well as I do that people _can _change! And for the better, too! You just don't want to believe it! The *cough* Byakugan doesn't see everything, you know. Merely what it's known to see; like chakra, not emotion, soul, or thoughts. So get rid of this ridiculous God-complex you've developed! *cough* It's not you!"

Neji was furious. "What would the _sheltered heir _know? Huh? You've been protected your whole life!" by now we were back to trying to close the other's tenketsu. "You know nothing! I see it! People cannot change and you know nothing about pain! Someone who was protected their whole life at the cost of others' lives wouldn't know anything! You don't deserve to live! It's all your fault Father is dead! Why couldn't you or your father have died instead? Or better yet, both of you!"


	6. Chapter 6: A Backstory

**Date: July 11th, 2012**

**Hey! New chapter today! I'm going to start putting the dates when I update each chapter.**

I have something to ask you guys: I need suggestions for nicknames for Sai to use on the others. By others I mean, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Kankuro, the whole shebang! The only ones I thought of were for Hinata and it was Wallflower. You can give suggestions through PMs or reviews. Just as long as I get them.

**Since yesterday (July 10th) was Uzumaki Kushina's bday, I'll let her do the disclaimer.**

**Kushina: Hey everybody! Epic Otaku Cherry does not own Naruto! If she did...um, what have you not said, yet? Oh! Sai would hang out more with Ino and the two would start develop feelings for each other. I mean, Ino _did _say he was cute, and even though she was probably half-serious, she said she liked him. Anyway, go down and READ!**

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Chapter 6: A Backstory

**Recap no Jutsu!**

"…_Someone who was protected their whole life at the cost of others' lives wouldn't know anything! You don't deserve to live! It's all your fault Father is dead! Why couldn't you or your father have died instead? Or better yet, both of you!"_

**Normal POV**

At Neji's last comment everyone but Hinata, Shino, and Gaara gasped. Hinata because she expected this; Shino and Gaara for obvious reasons. Shino settled glowered in anger and plotting his untimely death, however.

Tenten, however, was pissed, but decided not to say anything. _It's not my place to say anything now. I'll just give him a piece of my mind later…_

Lee was downright disgusted. Yeah, that's right; disgusted. _Angry or not, this is not how my rival and best friend –whether or not he thinks so- behaves. That was just out of line! I've never seen Neji so unyouthful and so…mean!_

By now, Naruto was both terribly curious and pissed off. "Hey, Lee. You're on Neji's team right? Why does he hate his family so much? Isn't Hinata his sister?"

**(A/n: Hinata had called him "brother" at the beginning of the match; I'm just too lazy to add it in.)**

Lee scratched his head in thought. "Yes, but I only know the basics of what _really _happened. First of all, he and Hinata are cousins, on their fathers' side. When Hinata was little, there was an attempted kidnapping of Hinata by Cloud ninja and in the end, Neji's father was killed. If you want details, you're going to have to ask Tenten. He's closer to her. I think their closeness is youthful, really."

Team 10, Team 7, Sai, Shino, Lee, and Kurenai all turned to Tenten, expectant. She sighed, turning to them.

"Though Neji might be pissed, who cares; I'm pissed at him myself." She responded. "Like Lee said, there was an attempt of kidnapping Hinata by Cloud. It was her 3rd birthday and Neji was already 4. The Cloud ninja had a perfect chance to get close to the Hyugas, as they had just signed a peace treaty with the 3rd Hokage. That night, someone had snuck into Hinata's room and abducted her. Hiashi, Hinata's father and clan head heard them and killed the abductor, taking Hinata back safely. Now, here's something I should add; the ninja that abducted her was close the leader of Cloud; the one that signed the peace treaty. The leader was angry and said accused the Hyuga of violating the treaty, since one of their ninja were killed."

"Wait a sec," Naruto interrupted. "Wouldn't _Cloud _be in violation? They did try to kidnap the heiress after all."

Tenten shrugged. "You'd think. But I guess not, since, to keep everyone happy without a war breaking out, the 3rd had to suggest leverage for the kill."

"And that was…" Shikamaru prompted.

"A life...for a life." Tenten answered; her expression grave.

Kurenai gasped slightly in horror. "You don't mean…"

"Yup. They specifically demanded the life of the killer, which was Hiashi."

"But Hiashi is alive. I've met him several times myself," Shino questioned.

"Exactly. Another thing; Neji's father, Hizashi, and Hinata's father, Hiashi are twins. The only reason that Neji is a branch member and not a Main house member is because Hiashi was born first.  
In consequence of them being identical twins, they looked a lot alike. Of course those who knew them could tell them apart. Or you could tell them apart if you look closely enough; twins aren't clones."

"Wait! Can you explain the details of the Side and Main Branch thing?" again, interrupted Naruto.

"Baka! She'll get to that!" Sakura hit Naruto upside the head. Groaning, he turned back to Tenten.

"I'll get to that. Anyway, since the clan head can't die, Hizashi had offered himself to be the sacrifice. Despite what others may think, Hiashi protested at first, not wanting to lose his brother. But Hizashi insisted and it happened. Of course, Neji doesn't know that his father offered himself up; he thinks that Hiashi and the clan made him do it. That's one reason for his hatred to his family."

"And the other? *munch* " Chouji. Duh.

"Aside from outright hatred, it was the Main-Side branch system. There really are more branches, but they're referred to as the Main and Side. There's only one Main family though. (Hinata's and the Elders and stuff). I'm not going into the details, but to protect the Byakugan and the heirs and the Main families, the side Branch's duty is to protect the Main with their life. To keep the Side from revolting or getting their Byakugan taken, every Side member is given the Curse Seal at a young age. I think it was called the Caged Bird Seal. That's why Neji makes all those 'caged bird' references, for the most part."

"What does it do?" Kakashi had actually put his book away, interested in what Tenten was explaining to them.

"Older Main members can activate it, and some younger ones, too. When activated, the Seal can inflict intense pain to the wearer, making them submit. If activated for too long, it might kill them. That's because Seal is on the forehead and is connected to the brain and eyes."

"I don't see how this protects their Byakugan," Kurenai speculated.

"Anyone with the Seal cannot have their Byakugan taken. Their eye might be taken out of their body, but the Byakugan will not work and will be entirely useless, like a regular eye. No kekkei genkai; nothing. However, it the eye of a Main member was taken, the Byakugan can still work, since they don't have a curse mark. Like Kakashi-sensei's. It's not his Sharingan by birth and was implanted, but it still works.  
Neji-kun had seen his father's seal activated and was frightened by the pain it inflicted on his father. He was also angry; moreso because it was Hiashi who had activated it. He hates the system and the Main family for the treatment of the Side and the death of his father. He hates Hinata-chan for being the heir and being weaker than her 5-yrs-younger sister; even more because he blames her for his father's death. She was 3! What could she have done...?"

By now, Tenten was grumbling to herself, and the others were satisfied with the info and turned back to the match. Kurenai and Kakashi weren't satisfied, though, unfortunately for our bunhead.

"And how do you know all this? I train Hinata personally myself, and I didn't know most of this." Kurenai asked Tenten suspiciously.

When hearing the question, the others' attention was focused back to her.

"Hehe…uh…well... Uh, Neji-kun told me most of this, obviously. Some I got from Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan, her little sister. Despite what others may think, she's actually not that bad. She's just like a robot because her father governs everything she does. She needs to get a backbone…" Again, she was rambling.

"Ahem!" grunted Kakashi, getting her attention.

"Oh, right! The rest I…well I…um…" she looked to the floor, embarrassed.

"You…" Sai prompted.

"I snuck into the Hyuga manor and got some of it, okay! And Ko, a branch member and Hinata's caretaker told me some stuff too! Satisfied? You. Can't. Tell. Anyone. Ever! God knows what they'll do, they trust me, you know! The guards all know me and hardly give me a second glance and let me in the Manor once they see me!"

"Why'd you sneak in?" Asuma asked, curious.

Tenten sighed. "I knew something was up with the way Neji told the story besides his obvious bias; something was missing. And Hiashi may not be the nicest person but he wouldn't just offer up his _twin brother _to die! That's terrible! So I snuck into the records in the Manor to get some of the documents and I just asked Hokage-sama for the ones he had and he gave them to me! I would show Neji-kun, but when I brought up the suggestion of his father offering himself up, he blew up at me and started his 'Fate' and 'caged bird' speeches! He didn't train with me for 10 days! **_10_**! I'll tell him when he gets off his high horse."

"A) Hokage-sama just gave them to you? Why do I have a hard time believing that? B) Why is 10 days such a big deal?" this time, it was Shikamaru.

"Yup, he just gave them to me. I guess he knows I'm trustworthy. 10 days is a big deal because Neji-kun is a train-a-holic, and I'm his training partner. He trains with Lee-kun and Gai-sensei sometimes, but to stay rounded or when Lee-kun challenges him. Before you ask why _I'm _his training partner, look at Gai-sensei and Lee-kun."

They did. They turned back, shaking their heads with a look of understanding and some, pity. It was hilarious, really.

"Get it now? Neji-kun and I train _at least _every 2 days. 10 is our record for not training when we're not injured, sick, or on a mission or break."

Having no more questions, the spectators turned back to the fight, to only to see that things had taken a turn for the worse.

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**What'd you think? Don't forget to review and PM! And review!**

**I DO need those suggestions for Sai's nicknames, people!**


	7. Chapter 7: End of the Hyuuga Match!

**Wednesday, July 18th, 2012**

**Hey! I'm updating before my family heads to the Grand Canyon. **

**Did anyone else read the little one-shot chapter for the Road to Ninja Movie? Go to . It's just Naruto Road to Ninja or something like that. It didn't update as a Naruto chapter; it was on its own.**

**Since yesterday was Shiranui Genma's birthday, he'll do the disclaimer.**

**Genma: Do I have to?**

**Me: Yes. Unless you want me to kill you.**

**Genma: You can't. You like me too much.**

**Me: I can always make you a tranny.**

**Genma:...Fine. Epic Otaku Cherry doesn't own Naruto. If she did, she'd know who "Tobi" was among other things. Don't forget to review.**

**Me: Good! Now, review, my lovelies!**

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Chapter 7: End of Hyuuga Match!

**Hinata POV**

"Akh…!" No… That's where…Neji had struck me last time. Near my heart.

"Give up; once a failure, always a failure. Where is your confidence now? Huh?" Neji was sneering, preparing for another strike.

Well, now's as good time as any for my Naruto-inspired-me-speech.

"Well, are you ready to give up? Do you want to run away like you always have?" I looked up into the stands, seeing some shake their heads, knowing I would lose; pain in Kurenai-sensei's eyes, seeing her young student so beat up; seeing sadness in some eyes; interest in Neji's power in others.

I stood up straight and went into another pose, coughing up blood. _I won't be able to keep this much longer. I need to end this… and soon._

"No cousin, I no longer want to run away! I vowed to myself to prove myself against you, whether or not I would win this match. And I will never go back on my word, because that too is my nindō, my ninja way." I saw Naruto lighten up, recognizing his famous line and nindo.

"How about I prove you wrong then! Show you that you can never go against fate because it is decided for you; one's destiny is predetermined and there is nothing to be done about it!" Neji was charging at me, his hand up for one last and final closing of a tenketsu.

**(A/n: sorry if that didn't make much sense. I wanted Hinata to say those lines so I copied them straight from one of her quotes. And sorry if the way Neji's speaking pisses you off: that's the best I can do for now.)**

However, before he can get to me, he was stopped.  
The senseis and Hayate had stopped him, holding his hands. Sai-kun and Kurenai-sensei in front of me, ready to protect me if Neji had somehow gotten through.

**Normal POV**

"*cough*!" Everyone turned to see Hinata collapse to her knees, coughing up blood.

"Hinata-san!" Sai had said, alarmed at the amount of blood she was coughing up. Quickly he got a scroll, paint brush, and ink out.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Kurenai had pulled Hinata closer to her, inspecting her and wary of what the ROOT child was doing.

"Relax. Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll!" A…lion with a flat and soft back, almost like a mattress had emerged from the scroll and looked at its master, waiting for orders. **(1)**

Sai picked up Hinata and placed her on the flat back of the ink beast to avoid jostling.

"Take her to the infirmary, or just follow the medics who just walked in." Everyone watched as the animal followed its creator's orders and followed the medics.

After Kurenai got over her initial shock, she turned to Sai. "Thanks, really."

"No problem." With that said, Sai went back up into the stands to his place between Sakura and Ino. The senseis followed behind him.

"Alright, with Hinata unable to continue, Neji is the winner of the match." Hayate stated.

"Let's see the participants for the nex-" "WAIT!" Hayate turned to the interruption. He found Naruto, his fingers covered in the blood Hinata left over, saying something to Neji. He caught the last part of it.

"…and I vow, on my ninja way, that I will **_beat you_** Neji Hyuga."

The Hyuga smirked, amused. "I'd like to see you try." And he went back to his place in the stands, ignoring Naruto's glower. Soon, Naruto went back up too.

"Like I was saying, let's see the participants for the next battle." Hayate continued.

Everyone looked up to the screens.

Lee, however was telling Gai that he doesn't care if he goes at all. "…I've waited so long I just don't care if I go or not anymore."

"WHAT!" Gai proclaimed. Lee was just about to reply when their proctor announced, "Match 9: Rock Lee of Konoha vs. Gaara of the Sand."

Silence.

**. . . .**

Then…

"WOO-HOO! I knew it would work!" Lee was jumping up and down in excitement. "I knew that if I acted indifferent that I would go next! It's a form of reverse psychology! YES!"

"Genius, Lee! I knew you were going next! Now get out there and show them your youth!" Gai was now full of energy, confident in his student's performance.

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Le-"

"Oh, just get out there already!" Kankuro shouted, tired of the back and forth motions with Gai and Lee.

"Of course!" Lee turned to his sensei again. "Watch me win, Gai-sensei!"

When Lee and Gaara were finally facing each other, their proctor took this as his cue.

"*cough* The match of *cough* Rock Lee vs. Gaara may begin!" With that, he jumped out of the way, ready for another intense battle as Lee charged at Gaara.

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**(1): I merely wanted Sai to demonstrate his jutsu, and even when I wanted to take it out, it was too much work to re-do that whole part of the chapter. Just think of one of his lions with a soft, mattress/trecher back. Weird, right?**

**I better see some reviews! I might update next Monday along with a one-shot since it's Sasuke's b-day (July 23rd) but if I don't see any reviews, no chapter!**

**REVIEW**

**REVIEW**

**REVIEW**

**You know you want to do it...**

**Grand Canyon, here we come! (You'd think that since I live in the same damn state it wouldn't be such a long drive...I didn't know it would take 6 hours from Tucson...oh, how I hate long car rides...)**

**Movie Countdown: (Road to Ninja) 10 days!**


	8. Chapter 8: What to do? Gaara vs Lee!

**Monday, July 23rd, 2012. Happy Birthday, Sasuke!**

**Hey everyone! I'm updating cuz it's our Sasuke-kun's b-day! **

**Just sayin, but for those of you who don't like how this story is written, then don't read it. Yeah, for now, it'll be pretty similar to the series, but the changes will start soon. Maybe even in this chapter.**

**Longer chapter today, by the way!**

**So, since it's Sasuke's b-day, he'll do the disclaimer.**

**Sasuke: I just did the disclaimer for the first chapter of the 3-shot you started.**

**Me: So? Oh, read it btw. I'm writing a one-shot-turned-3-shot and I just posted the first chap. I was going to post the second, but I'm not done with it. I originally planned for it to be a sorta long one-shot in the first place, but it's TOO long now. I'm in the 2nd chapter with almost 9k+ words right now. **

**Sasuke: Anyway, Echo (one Epic Otakku Cherry's nicknames) doesn't own Naruto. If she did...what hadn't she said yet...Matsuri would have character development and screen time. She wouldn't be a fangirl but still like Gaara (read as "love Gaara") and Gaara would begin to fall for her. Who is this "Matsuri" anyway?**

**Me: I forgot you never met her. She was Gaara's student. She's a Chuunin, now.**

**Sasuke: Oh. Whatever.**

**Now scroll and read, my loves!**

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Chapter 8: What to do? Gaara vs. Lee!

**Tenten POV**

_Shit. I'm so nervous… last time, Lee was in the hospital for months and wasn't thought to continue living after a surgery; much less survive the surgery itself. This time? I don't know. Do I stop it? Interfere? What do I do!_

**Temari POV**

**_You know, pacing around like a crazy woman isn't going to help you. Kankuro looks at us like we're finally lost it and Shika-kun seems suspicious of us._**

_Inner? I thought I left you in the future!_

**_Well honey, the future doesn't exist yet and I came along for the ride._**

_Great. Something else to deal with. Like Gaara nearly killing Lee wasn't enough._

**_Hey!_**

_Shut up. I need to decide what to do. Do I interfere when it gets too rough or do I let it be?_

_Hey Sandy. What up?_

_Ino? Are you communicating with the others too?_

_Yeah. We decided, at latest, to interfere when Lee uses that Lotus that he used last time before his arm and leg were crushed. Forehead is going to punch the ground, creating a crater and dust cloud to distract him and you're going to blow some of the sand and dust away from Lee. Tenten and I are going to get Lee-kun out of there. We get back up to the stands while you try to keep Gaara from losing it and Sakura and Karin will heal Lee a little until Tenten comes back with the paramedics. Hopefully, Hayate-san will call the match off and I will tell him, anyway. Understand? Now watch, it's coming up soon. Kankuro, luckily is on the other side of the arena with Naruto, so he can't stop you._

Got it, Ino.

_Good. See ya. Just act when you see Sakura go down._

_Hai._

**_Now you aren't stressing yourself out on whether or not to interfere._**

_Whatev. Hadn't Lee already opened like the 3rd or 4th Gate by the time Gaara incapacitates him?_

**_Incapacitate, huh? That's a nice way of putting it. But yeah. Hey, what's Sasuke doing here?_**

_Sasu- what is he doing here? He should be unconscious and then Kakashi takes him to train until the very last minute of his match in the finals!_

_Yo, Tem. Seems like a little change here, Sasuke woke up and he's been watching since the beginning of my fight with Billboard Brow. I'm glad he heard my proclamation. I don't feel like repeating it. He also overheard the explanation of Neji's hatred. Knowing him, he's going to feel angry that he was beaten so quickly by Lee who's getting his ass whooped by Gaara. He'll feel power hungry and challenge Gaara if he can't wait until the finals. He can be such an ass sometimes. I think this was the time where Sasuke acts like a prick the most. He usually isn't this bad._

_…You got all of that from Sakura didn't you?_

_How'd you know?_

_You don't know Sasuke that well. Much less the past Sasuke._

_You're right. But I gotta go, Sakura's about to start!_

Fuck! I turned to the railing, getting ready to jump in, not caring if someone noticed what my stance was for.

**BAM!**

**_That was her alright. Let's go!_**

_One step ahead of you!_

* * *

**Normal POV**

Gaara was surprised by the sudden flash of pink then the sudden cracks spreading across a portion of the concrete arena. He let go of his target and cleared the sand out of his way to see who or what the hell was interrupting his quest for blood.

After Sakura had mutilated the fighting arena, she made room for Hinata and Tenten to retrieve Lee and went back up to her place to the stands. Ignoring the shocked look of those near her and the slightly suspicious ones from Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru and the sensei, she calmed herself down to store up her chakra to collect enough to heal Lee. She'll leave the rest to the paramedics; she only has enough chakra to make sure some of the injuries aren't permanently fatal. Unfortunately, time decided to crush Lee's arm and leg before Gaara did previously, so she acted as soon as that had happened.

"Sakura!" Tenten and Ino gently set Lee beside her and Ino tied the pinkette's hair up, as to not distract her. Said pinkette nodded her thanks, but by then, Ino was already was already heading to the proctor, who had just gotten out of shock from the unexpected events.

"Haruno," a voice whispered. Sakura looked up to find Karin smiling gently, trying to lift the mood. Sakura smiled, glad for the help.

"Lee-san, bite me. Now." The others at that side of the arena in the stands had gathered around the two girls and Lee, wondering what the hell was happening and whether or not they could trust this redhead from Grass. Sai was the only one not suspicious; he was only worried for Lee.

The green-wearing boy had fallen unconscious after his leg and arm were almost destroyed but still tried to fight. He had woken up when Sakura started healing him.

Ino joined in the healing session.

"W-what?" the slightly disoriented teen asked. Karin put her hand out again, above his mouth. "_Bite_. Or I'll make you. I'm not going to kill you." He was still doubtful.

"Please, Lee-kun. Just bite her arm; it's not going to hurt her or you." Sakura pleaded, trying to heal Lee's crushed leg. After hearing her, Lee bit into Karin's arm. She muffled a little sigh at the delicious sensation. **(1)**

The ones watching were astonished seeing green chakra flowing both from Sakura's hands into Lee and Karin's arm into Lee.

"T-thank you." Lee muttered around Karin's arm before falling into unconsciousness.

"What did you do to him!" demanded a worried Chouji.

"I think…that they're using medical ninjutsu. But I've never heard of the way the redhead's doing it. You see those bite marks on her arms and body? She's obviously done this before." Answered Kurenai, since the girls were too busy concentrating.

A couple minutes later, Sakura pulled away, panting. Ino did the same seconds later but fainted. "That's all the chakra I can give without completely depleting my reserves and killing myself *pant*" explained the pinkette for those who were wondering why she stopped. "Me *pant* too. Karin, how much do you have?"

"Not much." The Grass nin replied, taking her arm from Lee's mouth. "My jutsu isn't entirely complete, so it's not as great as it could've been. The way my healing works, it spreads to the whole body, and it won't heal those parts as sufficiently as your way of healing could have at this point. I can't necessarily concentrate it at a certain point, but I tried going for his internal organs and brain; where the gates are. If Hinata was here, we'd have her close them. The fact that he's unconscious makes healing him harder, since it's easier to heal while he's sucking the chakra, not me pushing it into him. Not to mention, my reserves are a little low from the Forest of Death and this takes up a lot."

"You did your best, Karin. Thanks." Sakura said, then fell unconscious next to Ino who went out during Karin's monologue.

Karin didn't fall unconscious, however. She picked Lee up as gently as she could and carried him to the paramedics that Tenten had brought in, putting him in their stretcher.

"We healed him partially, but he still needs serious help. Especially for his right leg and arm, internal organs, chakra gates and brain," She told the medics. They nodded then took them away.

She and Tenten turned to each other. They nodded in thanks and to signify that they're done with their part. Karin went to her place in the stands and Karin went back to hers next to Anko and the Hokage, who were staring at her with question in their eyes.

* * *

***To Temari and Gaara, minutes before***

"Gaara!" shouted Temari. "Stop! Now, stop this! Get a hold of yourself! The match is over, you can't continue!"

"This match *cough* is over, since Lee is unable to continue, given his… *cough* state…Gaara of the Sand wins. *cough*" Announced their proctor, after Ino had snapped him out of the shocked stupor he was in.

"See! Gaara, take control! Don't let him rule you! You'll have your thirst quenched at a different time! If you continue *grunt* now, you'll be disqualified." Temari was trying to calm down Gaara or knock him out. Not that he'll be happy when he wakes up, but right now, Shukaku is trying to get out. Temari was also trying to blow away or block the sand coming at her from Gaara. She wasn't doing very well.

"Temari? What the hell do you think you're doing!" Shrieked Kankuro as he jumped down to help his sister calm down their almost-out-of-control brother.

"Dressing up like a pretty, pink princess! I'm stopping him, Wood-For-Brains! Now help me!" She responded. He snarled but helped nonetheless.

Finally, their efforts seemed to work. Gaara was now, more or less, calm.

"…Kankuro?" asked Gaara in that rough voice of his.

"…Yes?" His older brother said warily. He wasn't sure if Gaara was going to kill him or not.

"I'm fine now. Let. Me. Go. **Now**." Reassured, Kankuro let Gaara go from the bind that he had Crow hold him in.

"I'm satisfied for now." And with that, the redheaded shorty **(a/n: I think short people are cute. No offense to short people, please) **ventured up the stairs to his previous place in the stands, ignoring the frightened or astonished expressions of the others around him.

Temari sighed, huffing from exhaustion. "Well. That went a whole lot better than I thought it would."

And with that statement, she wiped sweat off her brow and calmly walked back up to the stairs.

…On the opposite side of the arena that she was before.

When the rookies and sensei gave her an inquisitive and questionable glance, she merely shrugged and said in a small voice. "I think I'll stay with you guys for a while. You seem…sane enough." She scooted a little closer to Shikamaru; not that he really noticed or cared, but the newly awakened Ino and Sakura did. They barely hid a smirk; and Ino a snicker.

"*cough cough* Well…that was an interesting match. Uh, Dosu Kinuta of the Sound and Chouji Akimichi of the Leaf; you're up next." When they arrived, Hayate started the match. "You may begin."

And so began what I like to call, a "curbstomp battle".

**(a/n: check it out on this website I love: /Main/CurbStompBattle)**

As Tenten watched, she commented at the end. "Now _that _is what I call a 'curbstomp'. Poor guy; the fight barely lasted a 2 minutes."

Neji looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Have you been on that TV Tropes website again?"

She looked down, embarrassed that Neji figured it out so quickly. "Yes." She muttered softly. He merely sighed, then asked. "Where's Gai-sensei?"

"He was frozen when we went to rescue Lee, and then went after the paramedics to check up on him. Poor sensei; I don't doubt he's blaming myself for this."

Kakashi sighed. "That would be just like him. But I've never seen him look that…solemn and sad before. I **know **he's going to beat himself up for this; it wouldn't surprise me if he did it literally."

Asuma, saying the first thing he's said for a couple chapters…said, "Look! He's coming back."

Everyone turned to him, wondering what has come for the fate of the young man that had begun to grow on them, whether or not they'd admit it.

Noticing no one was going to say anything and that Gai looked that he wasn't even paying attention, Sai said "Well? What's going to happen to Lee?"

Gai snapped his head back up, and looked surprised and like he never noticed that they were all there. "H-huh? O-oh… the medics…said…said..."

"Said what! Spit it out, man! You're kinda killing us here!" Naruto shouted, losing his patience.

At the word "killing", Gai flinched, and then looked even gloomier than he was before.

_"That doesn't seem good…" _Everyone, (more or less) thought.

"The medics said…"

* * *

**(1): **Whenever she does Heal Bite, she always moans. On Narutopedia, it says she apparently feels very...good doing it. No idea why, but she does. I thought it was only because it was Sasuke biting her when she did it, since we've only seen Sasuke bite her. But thank God that's not it.

**Ooh! Cliffy!**

**It's a good thing you'll only have to wait 2 days for the next chapter. But by then, I expect at least **_1_** review, or I won't update.**

**You hear? So review this and read my 3-shot! And review that, too!**


	9. Chapter 9: Bad News and Blowing Up

**Wednesday, July 25th, 2012.**

**Hey! Thanks for the reviews! **

**New chap today, but it's a little short.**

**I was upset that no one reviewed my 3-shot, yet! (I've got 2 chaps so far) Are any of you reading it? I think it's pretty good!**

**Since I'm a little upset, I'll have...myself do the disclaimer. I really need a list of what reasons I used as to why I don't own Naruto, I don't want to repeat myself.**

**Me: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Road to Ninja would be coming out on the internet with subs the same day it comes out in THEATERS in **Japan**. Since it's not as far as I know, I don't own Naruto.**

**Now read, review, and read and review my 3-shot, damnit!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Bad News and Blowing Up

**Sakura POV**

"The medics said that the healing he got before they arrived saved him from some of the worse effects of his injuries." Gai-sensei continued.

I sighed in relief, even though it wasn't over yet.

"However, he is still in critical condition." Gai-sensei continued. "The probability of him completely recovering is close to impossible; like 5-12% at most. Again, without that additional healing, it could have been worse: 2%. Anyway, even if he does recover like nothing ever happened in the first place, he still won't be able to channel chakra and stress his body as much as he used to. At least at first. After a while, he should be able to slowly work his body to how he used to be, but everything will take a bigger toll on his body than it would have before.

"For example; if he opened the 1st gate for whatever reason, his body would take more to almost twice as much damage this time as it would have done in the past. Continuing on, the medics around don't have enough skill to perform the surgery without at least an 70% morality rate." I figured as much.

Cue horrified gasps and looks from those who are hearing this.

"That was the survival rate for the surgery. The chance that he'll be able to continue being a ninja is even worse. Near impossible; unless he wants to stay a genin at a lower level than he used to be with even less chakra control for the rest of his life." Neji and Tenten were astonished at Gai's almost undetectable attempt of dry humor to lighten the mood. It failed most terribly too, which didn't help at all. And even _worse _was that Gai looked almost dead.

"Continuing on, if they somehow were able to perform a more successful attempt of the surgery, the mortality rate and odds that he'd continue being a ninja after it would be around 50%. But for that, they'd need a miracle, or someone like Tsunade. Which is the same thing as a miracle if we even get her to help. So really, Lee's doomed and it's all my fault." Gai-sensei looked down at the last sentence.

I'd had enough. So guess what I did.

If you guessed ran away, you were wrong.

I socked him in the face- with no chakra of course.

But it was enough to send him to the floor.

"Sakura!" shouted Kakashi, shocked at what I had done. He tried to pull me back but I shook it off.

"No," Tenten said. Most of us, including myself, just realized that she was shaking in anger. "If she hadn't done that, I would have myself!"

Gai stood back up. "What? It's true. It's possible that my student is going to die and nearly certain that he'll never be a ninja again. I crushed his dreams, his future, and his life."

Neji went back to being impassive, after letting his shock (and fear for his teammate?) through. "Hmph. I told you; once a failure, always a failure. I was right when I said he wasn't destined for anything big." Tenten slapped him without hesitation.

Behind the gasps, some could hear Shikamaru mutter, "Is it just me, or did it look like she's been _waiting_ to do that?"

Apparently Tenten heard. "I _have _been waiting to do that. In fact, since the second I first heard him open his mouth when we were like 7. But this…**this **was completely uncalled for Neji and I refuse to stand for it! How **_dare _**you say that about Lee? Who do you think you are, God?" She was snarling in his face now, holding him up by his shirt collar since the slap had caused him to collapse.

"Well here's your rain check! You're NOT God, you fucking asshole! I am seriously sick of your damn attitude! What the **_fuck_** was wrong with me before?" Everyone gasped at her language and anger. Even me.

**_Note to self: don't piss off Tenten. _**

_Got that right, Inner._

Our angry bunhead wasn't done. " Your attitude is one of the things I hate about you! And don't even **_start _**the whole 'the Main House is the cause of all my suffering' speech or the 'this is how fate deems it and it cannot be changed' or even the 'someone like you could not understand what I've been through' and 'caged bird' one! I feel for you Neji, I really do. But the only reason you're **_still _**suffering is because you can't allow yourself to move on! YOU are why you can't be happy! You won't let yourself! Even Hinata saw that and tried to help you! Instead, you try to kill her! You're angry at anyone who sees the truth because you refuse to accept it! And yet you play the 'I'm a Hyuuga' card a lot when you're angry with them and I'm sick of hearing it! 'Hyuuga' this and 'Hyuga' that! I'll throttle the next person who flaunts their name all the time! Having a great last name doesn't make **you** great! It just gives you a head start at being it! You need to prove yourself as you, not a Hyuga! Same for other families! I'm so glad I don't **_have_ **a last name!

Tenten was moving her hands throughout the monologue, expressing her point. Others around her just trying not to get hit. "And you aren't the only one in this world suffering Neji! Everyone is! That's the way the world works! There's always someone above you, always someone below you! Whether they're suffering more, or having it better off for a period of time! Whether it's in status, power, happiness, etcetera, there is always someone above and below you! The question is, what are you going to do about it? So what, you can still be the best you can be! Don't you start smirking Uchiha; you'll get your turn soon and it won't be by me! That's not my job!" She effectively stopped Sasuke's smirk. _Good job!_

"Someday soon, someone will show you that you **can **change your destiny! Lee has been trying to prove that to you and that hard work can overcome natural talent! It can and you just beat him down constantly for it! Believe it or not, we became a team, a family! You're my best friend Neji and Lee's like my little brother, and he was always there for us! Now you ridicule him when he did his best and nearly killed himself! He was still trying to fight while he was unconscious! That is what strength is. Never giving up and giving your all! He just wanted to prove he can be one of the best even with handicaps!"

She looked down, letting go of Neji. I could sense her speech ending. "I regret all those times I doubted Lee. He has truly proven himself; to me at least." She looked Neji in the eye. "Until you get a hold of yourself, you guys will be finding yourselves another member. I temporarily remove myself from Team Gai."

At this, Gai-sensei seemed to get his wits back. "T-tenten!"

Now, she turned on him, her anger back. "**And _you_! **How dare YOU of all people give up on him! You are his idol, the person he looked up to! His hero! His father figure! And you give up on him! How dare you call yourself his sensei! If there was one person I thought that would never give up on him, I thought it was you! I'm more pissed and disappointed in you than I am in Neji!"

Gai looked down, ashamed. Then looked up with anger in his eyes. "What am I supposed to do, then? My student is on the verge of death and may never become a ninja again! Am I supposed to give us false hope! Huh?"

I joined in, not being able to hold back. Or, should I say, Inner Sakura joined in. **"CHA! This Inner Sakura and I'm sick of hearing this! What are you supposed to do, you wimp? Believe in him! As cheesy as this sounds, believing in him could give him the boost he needs! If Lee-kun's_ friends_ and _idol_ gave up on him, why should _he_ think he'll get through this? I know more about psychology and healing than most may think! The mentality that he can do it can make his body survive it. It's also known as a placebo."**

Shikamaru added his own 2 cents: "Placebo's are often used in medicine. They can give Group A a medication to help their liver recover from alcohol abuse, for instance. They give Group B a pill that does nothing but tell them that it will help their liver recover anyway. Their brain believes the pill works so the body is fooled into thinking it is being helped when it really isn't. Both groups are told the same thing but only one gets the actual medication. They both recover, though.

"But she's not saying to lie, or give him false hope. _Inner _Sakura is right; or Sakura, whatever. If Lee doesn't believe he can recover, he possibly never will. Ever. If he does believe he can and has others believe he can, he will likely at least live through this. Just saying."

**(a/n: random example, but placebo's are actually used.)**

I started again, as Sakura. Not Inner Sakura. "I'm Sakura this time. Shikamaru and my Inner are right. I will even place a bet that he will recover."

This caught Gai's attention, along with the others. "What are you willing to wager?"

I took off my headband. "I will give up being a ninja if Lee does not recover with the ability to be a ninja in 3 and half months' time."

* * *

**Hey! Review this and review my 3-shot!**

**For those who were wondering why Sakura didn't punch the ground in her fight with Ino and win is because she didn't think of it and she couldn't win if she tried anyway. The time travel jutsu tries to keep the future from changing too much by keeping outcomes of most fights, especially just after the travel, exactly the same. It won't always be like that, though.**

**Now if you excuse me, I'm going to read the new Naruto, One Piece, and Katekyo Hitman Reborn chapter, if you don't mind.**

**FYI, Bleach updated today, too, but I haven't started it yet. Just letting you know for those who were waiting for the next chap.**


	10. Chapter 10: The Bet

**Wednesday, August 1st, 2012.**

******Hey! Short chap today! **

**I was actually thinking of not updating. Why? Only one person reviewed my 3-shot yesterday. And I thought it was my sis.**

**Why? The person who reviewed, logged in as a guest under "Faith." Guess what my sister's name is? Faith. Just earlier that day, I was ranting about how upset I was the no-one reviewed. Then I saw it. I thought it was her. Then I re-read the review after my sister said she hadn't reviewed it. Or read the second and 3rd chapters. **

**But thank you SO much, "Faith"! I'm so glad you reviewed! You made my day! And readers, you better thank her because she's the reason you got a chapter!**

**If I don't see another review on the 3-shot, I'm not reviewing next week. I might not have anyway, that's the first day of school for me. But then again, it's Tsunade's b-day. Anyway, review and I'll update!**

**Disclaimer:**** If I owned Naruto, Hinata's fight against Pain wouldn't have been that pathetic. In the manga, it was like 4 panels-2 pages long. Most of you know what happened in the anime. It was longer, but still not that pathetic. I also would have Naruto acknowledge the confession in a different way besides just saving her from Zetsus. Even a nod would have been something.**

**Anyway, READ ON!**

* * *

Chapter 10: The Bet

* * *

**Recap no Jutsu**

_I took off my headband. "I will give up being a ninja if Lee does not recover with the ability to be a ninja in 3 and half months' time."_

**Recap no Jutsu: Release!**

* * *

**Sakura POV**

Sasuke looked like he was going to kill someone. Asuma dropped his cigarette; Chouji's chips were lost a long time ago. His mouth dropped instead. Kakashi…I can't read it. Naruto…can't read his either. Everyone else; a variation of surprise, disappointment, worry, and from the girls and Sai-kun; determination.

Tenten and Ino took their headbands off too. "So will we." Ino said.

"As will we." We turned to find Karin helping Hinata walk toward, holding out their headbands. "I may not be a Konoha ninja, but I refuse to see someone with that sort of spirit be given up on like that. My team left me to die in the Forest of Death and never cared about me in the first place. And another team I was on…our leader used me as a sacrifice and would have finished me off had he not have been interrupted and me running away with the little strength I had left."

"What about your other teammates?" Asked Naruto.

"They couldn't care less if they had known. Granted, I was pretty annoying, but still…I thought I had become friends with them. Instead the leader let himself be obsessed with power and only focus on his goals; destroying any and all obstacles. Including me." I knew she was talking about her time with Team Taka/Hebi in the future. The time Sasuke tried to kill her was the day she finally gave up on him. No longer following him…you get the idea.

"After that", she continued. "I can't bear to see someone else given up on and left to die, too. I'll believe in this Lee kid and let my career take the price if I was wrong." She smiled-a small one-, supporting Hinata with one hand and her headband in the other.

"I-I believe in Lee-san, too. He helped me be proud of who I was. So what, I'm a failure in my own family's eyes? A failure can become great. I will bet my dream as great kunoichi on Lee, too." Hinata said, softly as she was still in pain.

"B-but Hinata! If he doesn't, your father will surely disown you!" Kurenai exclaimed. Akamaru barked in agreement. He and Kiba had also come back behind Hinata, to see what was going on.

"I know. That man stopped being my father the day my mother died, and even moreso in the death of my uncle. The loss of his brother had been the last straw. He'll disown me soon anyway, I'm sure." She said this as if it was a fact.

Neji blew up. "Loss? He sacrificed his own TWIN so he can live!"

Tenten turned on him again. "Oh, **shut** up! Your father gave himself up! Hiashi didn't want to lose his brother but he didn't have that option! Hizashi gave himself up for his brother, imbecile! I've tried telling you before but you'd never listen! Ask Hokage-sama! If his word isn't enough, I have documented proof! And this is about Lee, not you!"

"I'll bet my career as a ninja, too." Now **this **turned some heads. Temari, a Sand ninja and older brother of the one who put our friend in this state in the first place is betting her career that he would get better. I bet they didn't see that coming, did they?

"But what about that Gaara kid? You're on the same team, right?" Asuma asked, the first to gather his senses together.

Temari nodded. "Gaara and Kankuro are my younger brothers. I won't be surprised if my brother tries to kill me if he hears this."

"But isn't he your brother?" asks Sasuke. I almost forgot he was there. I find it almost ironic that he's asking this. You know, planning to kill his OWN brother and all…I'm not sure he should be talking.

"Gaara…is very troubled and unstable. He used to be a nice little kid but things happened and he lost his sanity. He no longer understands bonds of any sort aside from killer and victim. He doesn't understand family especially, so he doesn't acknowledge Kankuro and me as siblings. I'd appreciate it if you don't let it leak to Gaara that I'm betting my career. His leniency for me might evaporate and he has more than enough power to kill me."

"What happened?" asked Shikamaru.

"I'll tell you all after we're done with this. Does anyone else want to bet or is it just us girls? No guys have the _balls_?"

At first no one moved. They didn't say anything on her language either. Then Naruto held his headband out. "Like before when I vowed to beat Neji for Hinata, I vow to beat Gaara for Lee and I bet my career and headband on Bushy Brow's recovery."

No one else did anything.

Sasuke suddenly snorted. "You'll have to beat Gaara after I do; I'm facing him in the match."

Temari smirked. "That's if you can. Not just anyone can beat Gaara."

"I'm not weak! An Uchi-"

I interrupted him. "We know you're an Uchiha! We know you're stong! We get it. God, I'm so damn _sick_ of hearing that!"

He looked at me strangely, and then glared at me. I didn't care. I was too pissed to.

Temari started to leave. She turned to us at the exit. "Well if you guys want to find out about Gaara, you might want to follow you know. I want someplace more private. Hokage-sama, Hayate-san, and the other sensei spectating may come. You'll want to hear this."

* * *

**That's all for now!**

**By the way, everyone knows who's fighting who in the Finals.**

**The next few chaps will have little action, but I wouldn't call it filler. It's important. Either way, things are mellowing down.**

**Review!**

**See you whenever I update next!**


	11. Chapter 11: Gaara's Past

**Saturday, August 11th, 2012.**

**Hey everyone! School is back in session! (It feels like I never left, really. Or just had a longer break than usual. Nothing's really knew. Guess that's 8th grade for ya.)**

**I think I might start updating on Saturdays or Sundays, the weekends. I might not even be able to get _on _the computers on Wednesdays anymore.**

**Anyway, these next few chaps are almost filler-like, but I think this is important.**

**The next chapter is about Karin and her explaining what happens in the future to the Third and becoming a Konoha citizen. (Spoiler? Well, she can't stay in Konoha without being one and she can't go back to Grass either...)**

**You can skip it if you want, but then again, that means you'll have to wait 2 weeks. Whatever.**

**I better get back to writing more chapters. I'm almost done with Chap 15! This is 11! I better hurry up.**

**Since 3 birthdays passed this week, Tsunade on the 8th (my first day of school), Nawaki on the 9th (aww, one after the other! Cute!) and Yamato on the 10th, yesterday, they'll all do the disclaimer.**

**Yamato: Epic Otaku Cherry...**

**Nawaki: Doesn't own Naruto.**

**Tsunade: If she did, I'd be pregnant with Jiraiya's child or something close. The least she would have done is let us go on a date.**

**ATTENTION: I don't want to update until I get another review for my 3-shot! There's only 2! (I'm grateful, but still...) I think it's my best work yet! Come on, people!**

**Now read, damnit! And review this, too!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Gaara's Past

**Temari POV**

I asked Anko to lead me to a secure place where no one can listen in, and I told Sai not to tell Danzo anything. Not that I needed to, but for show. You know.

We sat down.

"Alright. First: have you heard of the Bijuu?" I asked. Hokage-sama gasped.

"How do-"

"Please just answer the question. A nod would be sufficient." Everyone nodded. Good.

"Good. But I'll just go into a brief history of them, okay? Is that alright, Hokage-sama?"

"As long as these are only for our ears. Anyone who leaks can face imprisonment and punishments for treason." He spoke. The others gulped, but nodded their agreement.

"It all started during the time of the Sage of Six Paths, aka the Rikudo Sennin, and I know you all know who he is. The world was being attacked by a large beast, called the 10-tails, the Jyuubi. The Rikudo Sennin set off to get rid of it, but couldn't defeat it completely. So, in the end, he sealed its body in the moon and split it's chakra into 9 parts into animals, creating the other tailed beasts.

"There were nine animals, with tails 1-9 respectively. Of course each animal became huge due to the overwhelming chakra. Number one became the spirit of a priest, sealed into a Tanuki, the animal also known as a raccoon dog**(1)**. Not raccoon. This tanuki had the ability to control sand; its name was Shukaku.

"Number 2 was sealed into a sort of cat; I believe a tiger or something. I can't recall its name. Yes, each Bijuu has its own name, but many only know Shukaku's and 4-tail's and 9's.

"3 was a turtle/lobster. Shell of a turtle, 3 tails of a lobster. 4 became the Ape King, Son Goku. 5 was a sort of horse thing. 6 a slug. 7 a beetle with 7 wings and 8 an octopus/ox. Finally 9 was the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama. I know you all know of the 9-tailed fox. The Bijuu became manifestations of hatred and evil, but can be…tamed for lack of better vocabulary. They **can** be civil and have a mind of their own.

"Because of their power, hidden villages have been trying to gain a monopoly on them, for war power. Obviously, that didn't work.

"Jinchuuriki are the holders of the Bijuu. The Bijuu are usually sealed into a young infant so they can't wreak havoc. "

"But why a baby?" asked Sai. I knew he knew why, but he had to act clueless.

"Bijuu cannot be sealed successfully into a human with a fully developed conscious. They'll die for sure. Therefore a baby is chosen." I didn't mention the only survivors past infancy were Uzumakis. I couldn't say there were any survivors at all.

"Often, these Jinchuuriki are feared and treated like a pariah by the villagers, since they believe they _are_ the beast and will let the beast free. However, there are Jinchuuriki who are/were viewed as heroes that proved themselves in their villages. It's possible and it's usually what some their Kage intended, but it doesn't always work out." I was staring straight into Naruto's eyes, the whole time.

"But what does this have to do with your brother?" asked Shikamaru. _**Man, I missed him...**_

_Shut up, Inner. Now's not the time._

"Right. My brother….he is Shukaku's, the One-Tails, Jinchuuriki. That's the main reason he can control sand."

"Main?" asked Kakashi. "But what about his sanity; being a Jinchuuriki doesn't make you insane."

"You're right; it doesn't. And I'll get to the sand thing later. Remember when I said that the Bijuu became manifestations of hate or something? Shukaku drove my brother bat-shit crazy. But to explain that, I'll need to start at the very beginning.

"My father is the Kazekage, with not very admirable elders and council members, to say the least. My village leaders are power-hungry and they wanted to become the strongest ninja village, so they found the spirit of Shukaku that was sealed away. The Kazekage's wife, and my mother, Karura, was pregnant with Gaara at the time. He was still forming in her stomach, so he was past being just a pool of chemicals at that point. My father decided to seal Shukaku into Gaara while he was still in my mom. It worked. My mom didn't want to do it really; people say she hated the Sand Village.

"But she didn't hate the village. She didn't like the way it was run but she didn't hate it. She liked the good people there. She was a good person and hated conflict, but she'd never do anything to sabotage anyone.

"Gaara was born prematurely, and Karura died holding her newborn son. It's likely given birth to Gaara who had Shukaku in her caused her death, and it wasn't uncommon to die in childbirth. It would have been a miracle if she _had _lived. I was 3, and Kankuro was 2.

"With Karura gone, Yashamaru, her younger brother and our uncle, along with the Kazekage left to raise Gaara. The Kazekage didn't raise Gaara well, he gave him toys and things to keep him busy and in control. Gaara always had the ability to control sand, but the sand always automatically protected him. I may be the only one who figured it out besides my father, but the reason the sand does that is because our mom's spirit resides in the sand, always protecting Gaara.

"Unfortunately, Gaara was led to believe that he was a monster and killed his mother. Kankuro and I were usually kept away from Gaara, so the only person to give him any love was Yashamaru. And whenever he tried to play with other little kids, he accidently hurt them. And when assassination attempts were made, he unintentionally killed them all without a scratch to himself. By the age of 6, the whole village viewed Gaara as a killing machine and hated him.

"Gaara was very inept in bonds and pain because of his isolation. His own father was the one who ordered the assassination attempts anyway, which made him even more confused about family. He couldn't feel physical pain because the sand always protected and stopped him, not to mention, his sand armor if he ever even got to it. He even tried to knick himself with a kunai just to know what physical pain felt like, but the sand and the sand armor would stop him every time he tried. He's never seen his own blood before.

"Anyway, Gaara grew to love Yashamaru like family and grasp what love was. But then Yashamaru was ordered to kill Gaara by the Kazekage. Not having much of a choice, he disguised himself and made the attempt at night. When he was incapacitated, but still conscious, Gaara took his mask off. He was hurt; Yashamaru tried to kill him. Yashamaru told Gaara that he hated him for killing his older sister, Gaara's mother, remember? He told him that nobody loved him. It was the last straw; Gaara lost it and killed Yashamaru, also carving the love symbol on his forehead that you see now.

"I think I'm the only one who realized out that Yashamaru never really hated Gaara, but said those things in hopes of him becoming stronger to protect himself from his father and others that tried to kill him. He let Gaara kill him in repentance for following the Kazekage's order to (try) to kill Gaara because he was the one Gaara was closest to. But I don't think he realized how twisted Gaara would become from the experience. He became a merciless killer at age 6. So his plan to gain power quickly from hate and protect him from getting hurt backfired. It's not a common tactic, but it's efficient but if it backfires…you'll have a sociopath that can't be stopped on your hands." _Much like Sasuke and Itachi..._

"Those black rings around Gaara's eyes- he was born with them. Jinchuuriki are often born with or grow to have a small feature of the Jinchuuriki they hold if the Bijuu was sealed in them at infancy, or in their mother's womb. Shukaku's a tanuki and tanuki have black rings around their eyes; therefore Gaara got rings. Offhanded fact, yes I know. Anyway, the other reason for Gaara's insanity is that Shukaku takes control of Gaara and takes away the last of his sanity when Gaara sleeps. So, to keep control, Gaara doesn't sleep. Period. Ever. Seriously. I'm his sister, I've tried watching him before. The no-sleep thing pretty much made sure those rings would never go away, like they could have in the first place.

"The Kazekage to this day still tries to kill Gaara, but fails. And that's the story."

I was still looking at Naruto, who realized that I knew what he was. He looked to Hokage-sama; I'm guessing for approval to tell. After a minute, he nodded.

Naruto took a breath, and raised his hand. "Guys, I have something to say. It's important, and the reason I think I'm the only one who can beat Gaara."

"I'm…" he continued, everyone's attention on him. "Kurama's, the Nine-Tailed Fox's Jinchuuriki. That's why everyone always hated me. You guys can hate me too, now. I took that risk when I told you and I'll tell Bushy Brows, too. I don't want him out of the loop."

"I knew it." Sakura said, acting like she had been suspecting it for so long. "And judging by their faces, Temari and some of the sensei knew too."

"I-I thought something like that, too." Hinata said. "But I don't hate you Naruto, I never did and never will."

At that, Naruto smiled, thankful that no one hates him.

Sasuke was angry with jealousy, knowing him. He snarled, "But how does that make you able to beat Gaara and not me?" He was so jealous; he didn't seem to care that others could see it. _Sakura said that he's already the jealous type, but the Curse Mark makes him even MORE jealous than he would normally be. It feeds on dark emotions. Geez, this guy can be the personification of Envy, of the 7 Deadly Sins!_

Naruto turned to him, serious. "I can beat him because I can understand him. Sometimes there are only people that only certain people can defeat. You may be fighting Gaara in the Finals, but you can't beat him. If you understood him, you could. You don't. Gaara and I both were treated as a pariah because we Jinchuuriki. Difference is; he was treated worse, and I didn't turn out the way he did. It's frightening, really. I'm shaking." He _was_ shaking. His eyes full of fear and terror, but determination and compassion behind them.

"I could've turned out just like him, but I didn't. Gaara didn't have someone like I had Iruka-sensei, or you Sasuke when we were little. Gaara had his own FATHER send assassins after him. His sister and brother were kept from him. He was led to believe that he killed his mother and that his uncle hated him, that he was never loved and was bred as a weapon. I could've turned out the same way, but I didn't and I'm grateful. Old Man Hokage and you guys were there and saved me from that. You all should know what I mean when I say I can beat him because I get him. Besides, it seems Kurama had a change of heart and is willing to lend me chakra if needed; chakra that doesn't drive me crazy and he promised not to take control. He says he owes someone. Believe or not, I guess he is pretty civil. He always wanted to show Shukaku's that he's the strongest Bijuu for a reason. Apparently Shukaku's really arrogant. I'm cautious cuz just a month ago he was all cool with destroying my body and others around me. Wary, but I'll trust him this time."

I noticed Sasuke calmed down, contemplating something.

I groaned. "I remember the only time he came out. He has the most obnoxious voice and way of speaking. Seriously. I don't think he needs his natural waves of insanity to drive anyone nuts. And I agree that Naruto's the only one who can truly beat Gaara. You may do pretty damn well Uchiha, but you're just not the one to do it. It's not your fight. I'm sure you understand to respect and honor someone's 'fated' opponent. You have your own to beat right? Would you appreciate Naruto trying to kill your brother instead? No? So let Naruto have a go, but do your best fighting Gaara. You'll need it."

He scowled when I mentioned his bro, and opened his mouth. Naruto interrupted. "You may be strong, but you can't beat him. You grew up with a loving mother and a father who favored your brother. Your brother seemed to love you, but you were still treated well and respected as an proud Uchiha. Not a montser. You don't understand Sasuke. Like Tenten said, everyone goes through pain, some worse than your own, but I understand his and can save and beat Gaara."

"Wait a minute. How'd you know I wanted to kill Itachi?" Sasuke asked me, suspicious.

I laughed. "Dude, think about it! Someone suddenly kills his whole family out of practically no where leaving only his little bro. What do you think that little bro's going to do? Especially being an Uchiha and knowing what Uchihas are like? Sit around and drink tea with biscuits?"

He accepted the answer but was still glaring at me.

I turned back to Naruto. "Please save him, Naruto. My little bro needs it. I'm rooting for you."

Kiba nodded. "So am I; I sorta feel sorry for the guy. And I don't hate you, Naruto. Sorry for the way I treated 'ya."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "None of us hate you, and I'm sure some are sorry for the way the treated you. But we should probably get going. BTW, anyone who leaks face punishment. Temari, Naruto, you may tell Lee everything."

I nodded my thanks, then stood up to leave. "Now, I got to get to Kankuro before he annoys somebody important again. Bye, and good luck."

With that, I left.

* * *

**(1): Yes, there's such thing. There's also a Japanese folk story about the Tanuki (which is basically a raccoon dog) and it is often represented as a Tanuki statue with a gourd of sake, smiling, with a straw hat. It is said to bring good luck, if I remember right. ****You guys know Kim from Soul Eater? She's a TANUKI witch. A healer, too. (Check out the manga, too, people.)**

**Temari actually found out all the names of the Bijuu and stuff from Itachi and the memories he sent the girls (I know I didn't include it, but Itachi sent memories of events and information that others had, like those of Karin or Naruto that he can get, so everyone knows the whole story. Does that make sense?) and a bit from Naruto and Gaara. But she can't tell them that, can she?**

**Well...**

**READ AND REVIEW!**

**I'M NOT UPDATING TILL I GET ANOTHER REVIEW FOR MY 3-SHOT!**


	12. Chapter 12: Karin & Scrolls

**Saturday, September 1st, 2012.**

**Hey, everyone! I decided that after 3 weeks of not updating, no one would add another review on A Couple Moments on the Road of Life. I'll keep doing these 2-3 weeks of no updates if I don't get reviews on it. Seriously. I'm pushing that much on it.**

**I worked hard on it, you know? It was my best work so far.**

**I might change the summary sometime, to see if that'll help readers. Cuz what I put wasn't much of a summary.**

**I also read the new Naruto chap. So it was Obito's FULL body. I see that he also has Obito's memories, but it's not the Obito we KNEW. First of all, the original Obito ACTUALLY died. I think something happened when he was brought back to life. I mean, same memories and bodies, but not same consciousness. Why the hell would Obito kill people so easily without remorse? Why would he do what he did? Do you think that if the Obito we knew was brought back and in his own consciousness and state of mind that he'd do what he did? No. So I think that he's sharing the body with something/someone. That's not OBITO is any way. Just body, memories, and eye. Not personality or anything.**

**We'll just have to wait and see what the deal is.**

**Anyway, disclaimer.**

**Me this time.**

**Dislcaimer: If I seriously owned it, would I be saving up for a PS3? Would it take at LEAST 1-2 years to get it out of my own and my sister's money? Would I be riding on the hope that I graduate 8th grade with at max 2 B's, and the rest A's so my dad will get it for me with some money I didn't know he had? No. No. No. I didn't think so.**

**Now read, suckas!**

**I'm seriously not going to update for at LEAST 2 weeks, without those reviews on A Couple Moments on the Road of Life! You can put as many reviews for DoOver as you wish (which would put me in a better mood at least and make me feel better) but I still won't update until those weeks are over!**

**Oh, and just to let you know, this story is going to be longer than I expected. Everything's going so slowly and I like keeping things canon, so Sasuke can't be madly in love with Sakura already, and same for Shikamaru to Temari. Just a warning: this story isn't ending anytime soon.**

* * *

Chapter 12: Karin & Scrolls

**Normal POV**

Kakashi stood up. "Well," He said. "If we're done here, why don't we leave? We already know who's going against whom in the Finals. I suggest we rest for a couple days to recuperate then start training. Agree?"

Hokage-sama stood up, too. "I agree with Kakashi. Karin you are to come with me." With that, he exited the room; the Grass-nin he called for trailing behind him.

Slowly, adult by adult, team by team, the inhabitants of the room began to leave.

* * *

***In the Hokage's office.***

**Karin POV**

"All right," began the bearded Kage in front of me. "We'll start with you, Karin."

I gulped, wondering what he was going to ask. Luckily it was only him and I in the room. I didn't sense any presences outside, so we were totally alone. I just had to hope there were no listening devices in here.

"Do you have a last name? Are you part of a clan?" I was caught off guard. Of all the questions I thought he'd ask I didn't expect those.

"Y-yes. But you have to promise to keep this only to yourself." He nodded, his expression grave. "I'm an Uzumaki. I don't know my exact relationship to Naruto and his mother, but I do know that I'm an Uzumaki. No, the healing you saw me do has nothing to do with it. It's not a bloodline trait."

"But how?" He asked. "How do I not know of you? I thought Kushina was the last pure-blood Uzumaki. And how do you know of her? Do you know of any others?"

I sighed. "I didn't know myself until recently. The only clue despite it being fact is my red hair, but lots of non-Uzumakis have red hair. I guess she isn't, really. I know a lot of things. Yes, one but I can't tell you who quite yet. Don't worry; it's no one in this village."

"What about your healing ability? You're very young, how do you have that kind of training? I looked up your files and there was nothing on that or anything but your ninja career. I've never seen that kind of healing before."

"So far, it's only been used by few in Grass and Sound, besides myself. I came across it one day. It was incredibly underdeveloped so I took it upon myself to further it on my own, for myself. The whole reason really was because I hated hospitals and anything to do with them. So I furthered this healing ninjutsu –it's called Heal Bite, by the way- and made it into what I did today. By biting me, healing chakra can be pulled into the one biting and heal them quickly. But it also depletes my chakra reserves and it heals the whole body rather than just one specific area. Because of that, the resulted healing is not entirely complete. But if I work harder on it, it can do just the same as regular medical ninjutsu.  
There isn't much about me because I'm pretty straight forward. I know nothing about my parents, and I have a favor to ask, if it's not too much trouble."

"Hm...what's the favor."

I looked down, suddenly shy. "May I…become a Leaf ninja? I even have in mind who I want in my team but they aren't here yet…Also one more thing."

He raised a brow. "Who are they? And what's the other thing?"

I looked up, holding my shattered glasses. "Can't say yet and I've got terrible eyesight. I need new glasses."

He chuckled. "Of course I'll get you new glasses." His expression turned serious again. "What exactly is going on? What's going on between you and the kunoichi and Sai at the exams?"

I sighed again. "It's a long story. Be prepared; you might not believe me."

"What could it possibly be? Believe me; after training the students I have and partially raising Naruto, I've seen a lot of things. Nothing really surprises me."

I laughed slightly, but humorlessly. "Well, first of all, us kunoichi and Sai are from the future and I'm really 16 years old."

He sputtered. "Wh-wh-what!"

I held my hand out, palm facing him. "I suggest you don't interrupt. I should start from the beginning. In my past, in the Forest of Death, I made a run-in with Sasuke, who saved me from a giant bear thing. I'm not surprised he doesn't remember it. After that, Orochimaru had picked me up, since I had nowhere to go…"

I explained everything from the Forest of Death to the point where I had found myself in sitting with him and the other adults watching the preliminaries. And I also got the others' sides of the story -Itachi had fed us each other's memories so we know everything, but it's difficult to differentiate whose memories are whose- so I didn't miss anything. He had to know as much as possible.

"So…" the Hokage started. "Itachi sent you back, huh? And all of this really happened?"

I nodded. I had already told him that some deaths may be avoided as long as they didn't affect the future too drastically.

"And he's going to come back to tell Sasuke everything? Sasuke really is so obsessed with power? I almost can't believe that Tsunade is coming back, soon."

"Actually, to make Naruto stronger, we're going to leave it to him and Jiraiya retrieve her. You need to send those two to get her ASAP, after the exams. Maybe write a mission scroll to do so once the Exams end, cuz you'll be dead by the end, too. But Kabuto needs to be killed. Anytime soon would be fantastic. The Akatsuki are moving faster than they did before."

"Who are all of the members of Akatsuki?"

I hadn't told him yet. But I will now. "I'll go by pairs. First off there's Itachi Uchiha of Konoha and Kisame Hoshigaki of Mist. He ended up committing suicide, but I'd say Gai should be the one to fight him. Maybe with some help, but Gai indefinitely. He could be considered one other the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. He killed the previous wielder of Samehada and his master, Fuguki Suikazan. He's one of the only members of this generation's swordsman besides Mizukage Mei's assistant Choujiro and Zabuza if he's still alive.

"Next there is Deidara of Rock and his partner Sasori. After Sasori was killed, his partner was 'Tobi', but I'll get to 'Tobi' later. Deidara has mouths on his hands and one on his chest. He uses those mouths to make detonating clay. He was the one who captured Gaara in the future. He committed a sort of suicide- a giant bomb to take out anything within 10 kilometers in attempt to take Sasuke to the afterlife with him. He always hated Uchihas – Itachi beat him easily when they were younger and Deidara hated him and the Sharingan ever since.

"Sasori of the Red Sand. He is greatest puppet master ever and the maker of the puppets Kankuro of the Sand uses. Many don't know he's _the '_Sasori', mostly because he has a larger puppet disguise that he resides in. He turned himself into a puppet and can only be killed by destroying or piercing the…violet cylinder in his chest where his heart would be. His strongest puppets are the ones he made of his parents. His grandmother is Lady Chiyo of Sand. She doesn't know he's alive. In the future he was killed by Chiyo and Sakura working together. Unfortunately, since Gaara was captured by Deidara to the Akatsuki, he had Shukaku extracted and died. Chiyo used a forbidden jutsu to bring him back, Naruto putting a little of his own chakra because Chiyo was already weak and needed a little more to revive Gaara. She died.

"Hidan of Yugakure and Kakuzu of Takigakure, known as the Zombie Combo. Kakuzu had other partners before Hidan, but he killed them all. Kakuzu and Hidan, or really Hidan, are immortal. That's why they're called the Zombie Combo.

"Hidan killed Asuma in the future and Chiriku from the Fire temple, as they were hunting the last 12 Guardian Shinobi. Shikamaru permanently decapitated and incapacitated him by almost literally cutting him apart and blowing him up. He was buried in the Nara's forest. I think that was the best way because he doesn't necessarily have a heart and you could cut off his head and he'd be totally fine. I don't think he could have 'died' any other way.  
Kakuzu would patch him back up. So cutting him up in mixed up pieces in a hole was the best way to go.

"Kakuzu was 91 when he died. He even fought Hashirama Senju; he lost obviously, but he still fought him. Kakuzu lived off others' hearts, using them as a life source. To kill him, you have to kill all of his hearts and then his. The hearts can separate to become creatures to fight, for a lack of a better explanation. He was fought by Ino, Chouji, Kakashi, Yamato/Tenzo, and finally Naruto. Naruto finished him off with a technique called Rasenshuriken, the finished version of Rasengan. But he should only use it in Sage Mode because that time he killed Kakuzu with it, he hadn't had Sage training and it destroyed the chakra cells in his arm. It was nearly unfixable and he almost lost it. He in the future he could have used it in Sage Mode without any defects. But he only had enough chakra to do it 2 times. In Tailed-Fox-Chakra mode, I think he could have used it as much as his chakra would allow along with other Rasengan tricks he developed." I had already explained Sage and Fox Chakra Mode.

"Then there's Orochimaru. You know him."

"You remember when I told you the original goal of the Akatsuki and the original members? How there were many but it was reduced to today's 10?"

The Hokage nodded.

I gave him the story of Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato -the other Uzumaki with the Rinnegan. I told him about their story with Jiraiya and Jiraiya's life along with the Prophecy.

Then I explained everything I knew about "Tobi" along with what I discovered from Itachi and the others and everything that happened in the war.

After a moment of thinking after I was done, he said; "So is this all? Are these Juugo and Suigetsu the ones you want on your team?"

I nodded, glad that I was finally done with the explanations. "Yes. Itachi is going to bring them from Orochimaru's hideout to here, but after Tsunade comes back. Juugo needs all the help he can get. I'll give you a written version of what I've told you and one with the stuff I could tell the others."

He nodded. "Yes. But I'll probably burn the one you give me; I already know now. And I'll try to get started on searching for proof of Danzo's and the Elders' crimes, to get them out of office. I always knew that they were up to something bad but I couldn't find any proof, even though I was there when the Uchiha Massacre was decided. Danzo's thinking of putting Sai as another member of Team 7, but I'll have you alone until Suigetsu and Juugo are here. Are you okay with being alone or do you want Sai to be with you until the others get here?"

"I'll be alone. The sooner Sai bonds with Naruto and the others, the better." I paused, suddenly remembering something. "Am I…a Konoha ninja now?"

He laughed, remembering he forgot too. "Yes, of course.I'll be done with the papers soon. I'll talk to your village leader later." He gave me a headband from seemingly nowhere. "Here's your head band. You can keep your other one for safe keeping if you want." He handed me a credit card and a key. "This should be enough for furniture and food and to keep you going for a couple months until you can support yourself. You'll be living in the same apartment complex as Sakura. One door down to the right. I knew I was right to save that one. That's the key. You'll be doing missions with any of the Rookie teams, or Konoha 12 as you called them. It may be Team 8 one day then Team Gai the next. Be prepared."

I smiled, saluting him. "Thank you, Hokage-sama! " I turned to leave.

I was about to open the door to leave, when he stopped me. "Wait!"

I turned around, seeing him hold out a slip of paper. "Go to the hospital and show them this. They should get you new glasses with the correct prescription. I called them a while ago."

I took it and left to the door, trying to do my best to not bump into anything with my poor vision and destroyed glasses.

**_Long time no see. I hope we can make it to the hospital, four eyes._**

_Shut up Inner._

**_Let's go home after we get new the pair. We're exhausted._**

_Yeah._

* * *

After getting my glasses and a check-up in the hospital (which the nurses insisted on) I sensed the girls and Sai not too far from me. Curious about what they were doing, I ventured over to their location. They were in a clearing some distance behind a stone bench.

**_Why is that familiar? _**

_Maybe it was in one of the memories Itachi gave us of the others so anyone of us could tell the Hokage what happens in the future; so we get all sides of the story that we all know. But who's?_

**_Don't know._**

* * *

**Sakura POV**

After leaving the building where the preliminaries were held, I gathered Hinata-chan, Temari, Tenten, Ino-pig and Sai-kun to a clearing I found behind the "Infamous Bench" as I dub it. Remember there were some trees behind it? There's a clearing farther in.

**_Now that I think about it, we never told anyone what happened there. But the others probably figured it out; especially with the memories that Itachi gave us._**

_Maybe. I just hope Pig won't question me about it anytime soon._

**_Don't count on it. You know her._**

Before I could reply to my Inner, Karin came out from the bushes.

"What's goin' on?" She asked.

"A group meeting. We're going to open the scrolls." Sai answered, his fake smile on.

He didn't completely trust her, but enough to work together for the mission. I don't blame him either; I don't trust her that much either.

She sat down at an empty spot in the circle we arranged.

"Is anyone around?" Temari asked.

"No one." She replied after scanning the area.

Everyone got their scrolls out. At the same time, we opened it, and Temari began to read.

**Normal POV**

_Uchiha Itachi: spared Uchiha Shisui, but still somehow managed to attain the Mangekyo Sharingan. Uchiha also spared his mother, Uchiha Mikoto and his brother Uchiha Sasuke.__Tenten and Rock Lee: had met each other and Hyuga Neji a couple years after the death of his father, staying friends since.__Fourth Kazekage: had not cared much for Temari and Kankuro, letting them be with their younger brother, Gaara, when they grew older. Gaara used to regard the two as his siblings and some of the only bonds he has, however his attitude changed. The only reason he has not killed them yet is because he still feels like he shouldn't, though he doesn't know why. He also needs some company and doesn't want to deal with any crap from Baki or anyone else for doing so.__Matsuri: at age 11, she met Gaara. He had broken her leg on accident, but she still insisted on being friends with him. He let her be near him and trained her to be a ninja. He is as reluctant to kill her as he is to kill his siblings.__Matsuri: her parents had died in a fire after her house had been raided by Sand ninja and rogue bandits when she was 9. She had been on the streets until she had met Gaara and Temari shared her room with her. __Umino Iruka: had adopted Naruto as his foster brother _**(1) **_when Naruto was 9. They still live separately, with Iruka visiting and feeding him properly, once in a while, however. __The Mizuki incident had still happened.__Haruno Kizashi, Haruno Sakura's father: is a drinking civilian. He believes in male domination and that only men can be ninja, amongst other chauvinisict and sexist ideals. Is to die in the Invasion. Beats daughter sometimes. His wife much less than Sakura, but it still happens. __Haruno Mebuki, Sakura's mother: is still the supporting mother she was. She supported Sakura becoming a ninja. Is a civilian and will die in the Invasion with her husband.__Sakura: has an apartment for herself prepared. She is to move into it anytime now. Sarutobi Hiruzen supports it until she can pay for it.__Hyuga Hiashi: harsh, and treats Hinata as a defect. He treats Hyuga Hanabi similar to a robot, and is soon going to disown Hinata. It may happen any day now. Hanabi is sweet to her sister and genuinely loves her, but does not have the freedom to act as who she is, nor does she know how to or who she is. She follows Hiashi's words without knowing anything else. She is going to take Hinata's place as heir after Hinata is disowned.__Hyuga Ko_**(2)**_, Hinata's primary caretaker: Is always watching over Hinata. The two have a brother-sister/father-daughter sort of relationship. He is always there for Hinata. The two are very close. He also has a separate apartment with 2 bedrooms. When Hinata is disowned, he plans on having her move in with him there.__Hyuga Tsuki, Hinata's mother, had died in childbirth at Hanabi's death. This advanced Hiashi's plummet to who he is now. His brother's death clinched it.__Shimura Danzo: had set up the test a 1-2 years sooner, resulting in Shin's death. __Shin: As he stabbed himself, Sai, startled, jerked toward his brother and his book had fallen out. It was open to the final, finished page. Shin smiled, and passed peacefully. Sai knows the other details.__Naruto: had been in the village's orphanage until he had been kicked out at 8. He then moved into the apartment he has today with the support of Sarutobi Hiruzen.__Tenten: Had been in the village's orphanage until she had convinced Sarutobi Hiruzen of letting her live alone in an apartment (that he pays for until she can pay it) at 9. Shortly after Naruto had. She had met Naruto when she was 8 and him 7. They had become friends but had not properly spoken to each other since the day after Tenten had gotten her apartment. They still feel as if they are friends, though, like aforementioned, they don't speak.__Hyuga Hinata: had talked to Naruto a couple times after Naruto had saved her from bullies at 5.__Yamanaka Ino: nothing really changed.__The scrolls: has a consciousness. My consciousness is in all of the scrolls. We can speak to you through them. So we're…living…scrolls?__You all: are able to communicate through the scrolls, as long as you have them with you. Insert a tiny bit of your chakra into them and think of a message and who you want it to go to. _

**Example: Sakura to Tenten: **

**(From) Sakura: Hey, what's up?**

**Tenten: Not much. You?**

_Understand?__It is much too difficult for Itachi to communicate through this often, so don't expect it. __Itachi: he could be saved from the illness that ultimately killed him. However, it's not easy. __It is possible to transport things from scroll to scroll, using the summoning technique. However, it takes a lot of chakra, so don't do it often or for trivial things.__Like I said, We're alive and watching. We're immortal. We also speak pretty informally as you can see. That's all for now. You can't do anything with your scrolls for the rest of the day: only read.__Bye. Any questions for us will have to wait until tomorrow._

"Well…that's interesting." Comments Temari.

"Definitely. I didn't expect being friends with Naruto at childhood." Tenten says, looking at her red, white and green scroll. **(3)** It also had 2 dragons wrapping around her name on it.It's amazing that it didn't remind me of Christmas; it looked cool.

"I'd better be going. I'll be spending some time in the Foundation's HQ. I'll try to find Yamato if I see any ANBU Black Ops members. Bye." Sai picked up his things and left, not sparing the others a glance.

_He may be feeling sad from what happened at his brother's death. I wonder if he'll tell us if anything else happened. _Ino thought, her heart clenching at seeing the pale boy's sad eyes. _What I've been feeling for a long time now, even in the future…is this…love? Or just a crush! I don't know…UGH! I need to sleep on this._

Ino stood up, also gathering her things. She turned to leave, calling over her shoulder as she slowly disappeared into the distance, "I need sleep, I'm tired. See ya, guys."

Soon, everyone was gone, at home.

* * *

**(1): Iruka said that he thought of Naruto as his younger brother and that he felt the need to protect him. If you don't remember, it was when he tried to stop Naruto from leaving the island when he heard about the war. I think the anime's almost at that point, but I know this happened in the manga.  
**

**(2): Remember him? Ko really is Hinata's caretaker, sort of. He was seen again trying to stop Hinata from fighting Pain. He's obviously almost old enough to be Hinata's father, so I'm making him younger. Like 21. So when she was a child, it wasn't too odd to have a 13 year old looking after her. So he's 8 years older than her.**

**(3): All the time travelers have a color-coded scroll. Yeah, Tenten's reminds me of Christmas when I wrote about. Ino's is yellow, royal blue, and violet, and "Ino" on it. Weird, combo, but what I have in mind looks nice. Hinata's is indigo (a cross between blue and purple), lavender, white, and her name is on it. Sakura's is red, lime green, and a white circle around her name. Temari's is lavender with a black outline, and has a picture of her fan on it. On said pic of her fan, is her name. Sai's is gray, white, and a deep purple. His name is in what looks like black paint. It's the design of the scroll, but if you looked at it, you wouldn't be sure if it was the scroll or him. Yamato's is tan, dark brown, and green. His name is in a deep blue. Weird combo, again, but looks cool. Matsuri's is teal, yellow, has black outlines, and her name is in a dark brown color that reminds you of wood. **

**No, I don't have pics of the scrolls. I came up with the designs in my head.**

**Just about all of the info in this chap is true. (Meaning the Akatsuki) I looked them up weeks ago. Or I got it while following the series.**

**I like keeping things canon, but sorry if Karin is a little OOC.**

**At first, the chap stopped at when Karin's Inner said, **"Don't know." **But I decided to combine it with the next chap. I combine 2 more future chaps, to lower the number. Like I said, this isn't anywhere close to ending.**

**REVIEW, DAMNIT!**

**I love you! ;)**


	13. Chapter 13: Family, Moving Out, & Trust

**Saturday, September 8th, 2012.**

******I reposted and (sort of) re-wrote A Couple Moments. So why has 1 person reviewed? I changed the summary!**

**You guys are lucky that she reviewed every chap. **xxxLizzie-chanxxx **is her name. You owe her. A lot.**

**I'm too lazy to check it it's anyone's birthday, so I'll do the disclaimer.**

**Dislcaimer: If I owned Naruto, I'd be tight with Todd Haberkorn, Vic Mignogna, Troy Baker, Eric Vale, and Yuri Lowenthal. But I'm **_not_ **tight with my fave V/A's am I? No. So I don't own Naruto.**

**BTW, some charas these guys played.**

**Todd: Death the Kid (Soul Eater), Ling Yao (FMA/B) N. Italy (Hetalia), Hikaru (OHSHC), Keroro (Sgt. Frog, haven't seen), Allen Walker (D. Gray Man, haven't seen).**

**Vic: Ed Elric (FMA/B), Tamaki (OHSHC), Spirit (Soul Eater), Zero (Vampire Knight, haven't seen), Nagato and Fuen (Naruto, I usually won't add parentheses if it's from Naruto).****  
**

**Troy: Excalibur (Soul Eater), Yamato, Pein, 2nd Greed voice (FMAB only).**

**Eric: America & Canada (Hetalia), Yuki (Fruits Basket), Kimblee (FMA, not sure about FMAB), Sanji apparently, (One Piece).**

**Yuri: Sasuke, Ben (Ben 10: Alien Force, and continuing series), Shu (Blue Dragon, BD Season 2), Haru (Rave Master), Suzaku (Code Geass, haven't seen).**

**Now. Unto the story!**

* * *

Chapter 13: Of Family, Moving Out, & Trust

**Hinata POV**

_I have a bad feeling. Is Father going to disown me today? Where will I stay? I don't have an apartment on the side, and the others all have 1 bedroom apartments or live with their family. _

I realized I was already at the front door of home. No, not home. The Manor.

I walked in and found my father and Hanabi sitting at a low table in the…living room, for lack of proper vocabulary.

I sat down in front of him.

"I am home father." I said, folding my hands on my lap, looking straight at the table.

"I see that. Where have you been, the sun is already down." His tone was one of displeasure, like he was disgusted with me. It didn't affect me much, but I was surprised that father really disliked me as much as the scroll had...said. In the other timeline, I grew to have his trust and faith, but now that can't happen. I don't really want to anyway, so…

"I was with friends, and lost track of time." I explained, knowing it wouldn't change anything.

"Hinata, I have news." I looked up at him, seeing the elders of our family enter the room and take their places behind him. Hanabi looked at me with an expression of sadness, and that's when I knew what the news was.

"Hinata, you are officially no longer part of the Hyuga clan. You are officially disowned, not my daughter, nor the heiress; Hanabi will take your place. You may keep the last name, but you are no longer part of the family. Do you understand?" I nodded at Hiashi -he is no longer my father. My face did not express anything but indifference. He lost that a long time ago and this just made it "official." **(a/n: see what I did there?)**  
"You may go to your room and pack your things. There are extra suitcases outside your door. I will give you an hour. By the end of it, your room must be void of your things. Find some place to stay: we will no longer be looking after you."

I got up; about to head to my now old room, but Hiashi stopped me. "I think you'd also like to know, that Ko is also no longer a Hyuga, either. He defied me too many times and I do not wish to deal with him any longer. He is also clearing out, but his Curse Seal will remain and we still will be able to activate it."

_Ko-nii_**(1)**_…he's no longer a Hyuga either. Maybe we can live together. I better find him._

* * *

***50 minutes later, still Hinata POV***

I had all my things in suitcases, and I had met up with Ko-nii not too long ago. He told me he had an apartment on stand-by with 2 bedrooms, just in case or when he didn't feel like sleeping in the Manor. He the extra for me if I ever wanted to move in with him. We decided we'd stay there and he'll become a full-time Chunin, instead of part-time. He's going to train harder to pass the Jounin Exams.

We headed to put our things in his car **(2)**, a new, silver Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG. Ko doesn't really like very flashy things, but when he saw this, he couldn't resist it and it wasn't _too _flashy or showy, so it suit him just fine.

But before we reached the car, Hanabi showed up.

"Onee-chan, please wait a moment before you go." She usually calls me just Sister/Onee-san around others, but when it's just us, she calls me O/'Nee-chan from when we were kids.

She walked up to me, and I put the bags down. Then she ran at me, enveloping me into a hug, nearly squeezing me to death and crying.

"I-I'm sorry, Sis! I couldn't do anything and-and I'll miss you! I-I don't want y-you to *hiccup* g-g-go!" I hugged her back, lowering my body to be eye-to-eye with her. I noticed Ko taking our things to the car, allowing my sister and I some alone time.

_Thanks, Nii._

I turned my attention back to my crying sister, lifting her head to face me.

"Shh… It's okay Sister. I was expecting this; it's not your fault." She barely kept my gaze at her eyes, still sniffling. "I'll be staying with Ko-nii and we'll be fine. You can come and visit anytime you want-I'll text you the address later. You can call me and we can see each other during the day. I won't be gone f-forever." By now, some tears had escaped my eyes. I genuinely love my sister; she's very precious to me. I wish I could do something to help her give confidence, but I can't. She needs to do that herself.

I hug her tighter to me. "Sister…*sniff**sob* I'll miss you. I'll come visit you, I promise and you have to call me at least once a week. Okay?"

I nodded, letting Hanabi let out her tears, my own ending. I've only see her cry a few times, and it hurts to see it.

We just held each other, and I began to stand up. "Do you want to give Ko-nii a hug, too?" Ko had also helped look after Hanabi, but when she started training with Fa-Hiashi, Hiashi took full custody of her.

My imouto nodded, holding my hand as I guided her to Ko's car, where he was waiting.

I let her go and I watched as she also gave Ko a hug, talking to him and him responding, picking her up and twirling her around like he used to.

_This is so sweet... I will not miss living here, but I will miss seeing my sister more often._

After saying their temporary farewells, Ko got in the car, leaving the passenger seat for me to get in open.

I walked to it, but before I got in, I paused in front of my sister, wiping her tears and kissing her forehead tenderly. "Wipe those tears, okay? We won't be gone forever. I'll see you later, okay, Hanabi?" I gave her one last squeeze, seeing her nod and hug back.

"*sniff* Bye, sis." I got in, and waited for her to get back inside the Manor before telling Ko to go.

"We can decorate your room tomorrow or something, Hinata. For now, since it's late, we'll cook dinner and go to sleep. Is that okay?" I nodded at Ko, wondering what he had planned for dinner.

I stared into space for the rest of the ride (though it wasn't a very long one).

* * *

***Around the time Hinata arrived at the Manor before, at Sakura POV***

When I arrived at my parent's home (where I currently live), there were few lights on. I used my key to open the door and entered, heading to the kitchen to eat.

When I got there, I found my father and mother waiting for me at the dinner table; the table was clear of any dishes or food.

"Where have you been, young lady? The sun is already down, and has been for a while now." Father asked. He looked stern, and sort of angry.

"I was out with my friends after the Exams were over." I replied.

My mother tried to lighten the mood, putting on a small smile. "Oh, yes! How'd they go? When are the Finals? Or did they happen already? I'm not sure how they work..."

I sat down at the table. The 3 of us were now in a triangle, my parents looking at me. "My team and I passed the first and second round. However, too many passed the second and there had to be a preliminary round. They were one-on-one matches, and whoever won went to the Finals in a month."

"Why is your hair cut?" Father asked, like he just noticed.

"I had to. It was in the way, and I like it better like this anyhow." He seemed angry with that answer, but said nothing.

"Who'd you and your team fight, Sakura? Did you all make it to the finals?" My mother was eager to hear the answer.

"I fought Ino-Pig, Sasuke-kun fought a Sound ninja, and Naruto-kun faced Kiba. Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun both won their fights and are going to the finals. My fight with Pig was a draw, so neither of us are going to Finals." I kept my face blank throughout this.

"Hmph. I knew you couldn't win. Only boys made it, didn't they? This only proves that only men are capable ninja." My father sneered, and I felt angry that he was saying this when he was a mere Chunin, and not a very strong one.

"Actually," I countered. "The second Exam's proctor was a woman, Mitarashi Anko. Morino Ibiki didn't seem to take her lightly. And there _is _a woman going to the Finals. She's very strong."

"Hmph." My father just didn't care. "Anyway, unless you have anything else to say, go straight to bed. No dinner for you; late weaklings don't get dinner." He was about to get up to leave when I spoke up.

"I **do **have something to say." He looked at me in the eyes, daring me to defy him. I did. "I'm going to live in an apartment from now on. I sent a clone ahead to get my things. I can pay for it, and I just wanted to say bye."

I got up, hugged my mother and kissed her on the cheek, then headed to the door.

My father grabbed my arm, twisting it and me toward him. It hurt and I was already bruised, but I didn't let it show on my face.

When I was finally facing him, he pushed me against the wall and starting pummeling me with his fists. His face was red and he wasn't letting up.

Finally, his anger exploded.

"You ungrateful little bitch! How dare you say that to me like you have a choice! As your father, you have to do anything I say and stay at the house until I deem you worthy to live on your own!" he said, as he continued.

"Kizashi**(3)**! Stop!" Mother tried to pry him away from me, but she was pushed back. She gave up, knowing she couldn't do anything.

Finally regaining some strength, I punched my father in the face and kicked him in the gut, pushing him back and wiping blood from my mouth.

"I can do what I want. It's not like I really regard you as a father anyway; you lost that right a long time ago. Thanks for everything and all, but I really must be going."

I waved at my mother and turned to leave again when my father interrupted. "Who's apartment is it? Huh? You little whore; I bet it's one of your teammates! God only knows what happens when a girl is placed on a team with a bunch of men! Have you fucked any of them yet, or all of them? Even your teacher? Or that demon child? Or even that guy you like so much, the Uchiha! Ooh, what about that pale kid I saw you with in town?"

I faced him, my eyes full of rage. "How **DARE** you! It's my OWN apartment, for you information and don't you dare talk about my friends like that! Naruto is my friend, he's not a demon and I swear if you ever say something like that, I'll make you **regret **it!"

He simply gave me his crooked grin. "Like you can make me regret it! I'd like to see you try!"

I smirked, and headed to the door. I opened it, and before I exited the house, I said, darkly, "**You'd be surprised of what I'm capable of.**" Then, in a lighter voice, "See you, Mother!"

I slammed the door shut and traveled through the streets of my village, feeling quite triumphant of myself.

**_We showed him! I can't wait till we can REALLY beat him up!_**

_Sure, whatever, Inner._

I saw Ichiraku's coming up in my line of vision. My stomach growled.

**_Should we…?_**

_Hell yeah. I might have some money on me, and if not, we'll ask Teuchi to put it on my tab._

**_…RAMEN, HERE WE COME!_**

_. . .Do you think we've been hanging out too much with Naruto?_

**_. . .Maybe. But I need FOOD!_**

And with that, I sprinted to the familiar food stall, ready to stuff my face with the very thing that my best guy-friend, and our favorite orange midget practically lives on.

* * *

**Sakura POV**

Right now, I was heading to my apartment; my stomach filled with beef and miso ramen.

**_*Burp* That felt nice! I'm stuffed!_**

I'm _stuffed. __**I'm **__the one with the body, here._

I was about to enter my humble abode of an apartment, when I noticed Karin entering her own next to mine with bags in her hand.

**_It's Karin! I didn't know she would be moved into this complex._**

_No, it's Santa. No shit it's Karin! But I didn't know she lived here either. Let's talk to her._

**_Wait…we should ask her where her loyalty lies. I mean, she _**was **_traveling with Sasuke and one of Orochimaru's most trusted servants, right?_**

_Right…but if Itachi sent her with us, he trusts her enough to do this._

I didn't get a reply from Inner, but I walked up to the redhead anyway, taking some of her bags as she opened the door, struggling.

"Here, I'll take those." I smiled at her.

She looked shocked and wary for a second, and then opened the door, saying, "Come in."

She locked the door behind her and turned off the lights as we headed for her small kitchen.

As I helped her put the groceries away, I noticed there was a lot of okonomiyaki ingredients and sauce, and perfume.

"Someone likes okonomiyaki**(4)**, don't they?" I teased.

She blushed a little. "It's my favorite."

"There's also a lot of perfumes. You collect them, perhaps?"

She nodded. "Yeah. My name also means fragrance, so that probably has something to do with it."

I laughed a little. "Now that I think about it, Naruto is also a type of fishcake used in ramen. **(5)**"

She looked confused.

"Oh! I forgot. You remember Naruto right? The loud blonde that fought Kiba and vowed to kick Neji's ass? Anyway, long story short, he told me that his father, The Yellow Flash (he didn't tell me that part, obviously) was reading a book in which the main character was named Naruto. He admired the character and he and his wife, Kushina, hoped for him to be like the character in the book so he was named after said character. The thing is, Jiraiya wrote the book and came up with the name while eating ramen. So, essentially, Naruto was named after an ingredient in the food he loves." I laughed some, and Karin joined me.

When we calmed down, she took me to her room and we sat on her futon. _She's probably going to buy more furniture and a bed when she can afford it._

"No offense, but why are you here? Despite the fact that you live next door." She was looking straight into my eyes. A little cold, but hard and determined.

I sighed. "Right off the bat, huh?" No reaction.

"Alright, I came here because I wanted to know where your loyalties lie. With us –as in those who came back to the past-, Itachi, Orochimaru, Sasuke-kun of the future, or yourself. Why are you doing this?"

She looked a little surprised, but I saw her face darken slightly when I mentioned Sasuke-kun. "I'll let you know right now I have no intention of letting the future repeat itself. I also sort of…hate…to an extent, Sasuke."

My eyes widened slightly. "Is it because…?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I mean, he was different before he tried to killed me. He wasn't the guy he is now, in the past, but he was still…he had a sense of loyalty. Some of his old self was still there. But gradually, he started becoming a monster that only cared about himself, his family, and revenge.

"He almost risked his life and the mission once for us-Team Taka. It was Taka then. When we were sent to capture Killer Bee. Killer Bee went in full Bijuu mode and it was almost too much for us. He saved me and Suigetsu though. By the time we were back at the Akatsuki base, Suigetsu was a puddle of white, solid-ish…goo; Juugo had the body of a young child; I was injured, and so was Sasuke. I thought that was a turning point for the team.

"As a whole, we were never really nice to each other at all. Suigetsu and I had a hate-hate relationship: he pissed me off insulting me in cruel and mean ways, and I punched him returning the verbal obscenities, failing to inflict a lot of pain, due to his liquid body. I fangirled obsessively over Sasuke, and he was cold to all of us. Juugo followed Sasuke's orders, relying on him when he lost control. But gradually, we got used to each other and even had a couple fun times. Suigetsu and I even joked around with each other, and playfully fought a little. Sasuke never smiled, though. Smirk, yes. Smile, no.

"Then, when he tried to kill me, he was totally gone. The Sasuke I liked so much and nearly fell in love with -I don't doubt it would've happened, had he stayed his old self longer- was totally and utterly insane and gone. Nothing mattered. When you came, and he ordered you to kill me, I finally gave up on him.**(6)** I hate him for it, and I no longer hold any romantic feelings for him. So no, my loyalties do not lie with Sasuke. And I have no obligation to help Orochimaru, either. My loyalties to him ended a while after Hebi was formed."

As I listened to her, I started feeling for her a little, trusting her a little bit. A little –she was still a rouge ninja.

"So, you're going to work with us? Even become…a friend? A permanent Konoha Shinobi?" I asked tentatively.

Again she nodded, her face still looking a little pained from her monologue. "I'll work with you. I'm now a Konoha Shinobi and planning to stay; the Third took care of everything with Grass, I guess. But one thing; one question."

I leaned in. **_What could she possibly want to ask? _**

_If you'd shut up, we'd find out._

"W-what is it?" I asked.

"Y-you guys won't…you won't betray me, will you? You won't hurt me, right?" She looked up at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears and full of the pain of betrayal.

I gasped. I never thought I'd see her like this. Flashbacks flashed through my head, showing when her teammates abandoned her in the Forest of Death, and again when the man she almost fell for struck a Chidori through her chest.

Impusively, I pulled her into a hug, saying softly, "No. None of us will betray you, Karin. We're not like that…friends don't betray friends…"

"T-then yes. I-I'll be your guys' friend." She nodded on my shoulder and hugged me back, crying softly.

"You want to change, right?" I asked her.

"Yes. I don't want to be the useless girl anymore." I smiled. _Just like me…_

"I was useless and weak, too. Let's change together." She nodded, smiling. Then, it disappeared.

"Sorry, but I have another question -or suspicion, really- that's been bugging me since you interrupted Sasuke." I tilted my head in confusion. _**What is it? And right when we were having a moment, too...**_

"Do you love Sasuke? Did you, in the future, too?" My eyes widened. _She noticed?_

__I was silent for a moment. Then, I nodded. "I used to be a fangirl of Sasuke-kun. Ino and I fought over him all the time. In fact, we gave up -no, I asked for us to destroy our friendship to become rivals for Sasuke instead when we were 10. When I was put in the same team as him and Naruto, I always fawned over him, and was, like I said, basically useless to my team.

"As time passed and Sasuke-kun began to open up to us, my crush began to turn into love. And before I know it, I confessed my full-on love for him on the night he left, offering and promising to make him happy, in efforts that it'd make him stay. But I meant all of what I said that night. After I finished, he gave me a smirk -I think there was more to that smirk than I realized- and said that I really was annoying. I wasn't too hurt, I mean, he called me that all the time but I think this time there was something more to it. Then, he knocked me out, thanking me as I lost consciousness. I woke up on that stone bench in front of the clearing we met up at.

"But I continued loving him, even more. When I came to him, I tried to kill him. I couldn't do it and hesitated, giving him an opening to kill me. Twice. He would have, if Kakashi, then Naruto hadn't saved me. Naruto loved me by then, too. He had a crush on me when we were genin, and then like me, it developed into love."

There were silent tears going down my face, at the pain of telling this story to someone for the first time.

"I knew he did, and I abused that weakness before I set up to kill Sasuke. I told Naruto I loved him -which I do, but like a sister, not the way he wanted- and told him that I gave up on Sasuke, saying that he should give up on chasing him before he gets hurt further. He called me out and told me he hated people that lied to themselves.

"I knew I shouldn't have done it, but I've been beating myself up for it ever since. I hated it. I hated myself for hurting him so much. I hated myself for loving Sasuke anyway, and not regretting it. I hated that I essentially betrayed Hinata's trust for me, because I knew, and he knew, that she loved him, after I promised her to help her with him. "

I clenched my fists, the tears stopping. "That's why this time, I want to stop the future from ever happening again and not letting Sasuke or Naruto go through that. I'll make sure that Naruto won't fall in love with me, same for Lee, because I can never love them back. This time, I want to help Hinata more, and maybe at least get her and Naruto on a personal, friendly level. I never want anyone I love to be hurt so much, again..."

Karin's face was unreadable. "So you do love him. If that's the case, why were you so pissy with him in the preliminaries?"

I laughed. _That was unexpected. _I put an amused smile on my face, hands on my hips. "Because he pissed me off! I can't believe I almost forgot how arrogant he can be. And frankly, just because I love him, doesn't mean he doesn't make me pissed with all he did!" Instead of sadness, there was amusement, and we laughed out loud at my response.

I spent the rest of the day in her apartment, getting to know the girl that almost fell in love with the one I love now.

* * *

**(1): In this timeline, Ko and Hinata are much closer, him being like a brother or 2nd father to her. I believe this was said in the scrolls. If you're wondering about how old he is, I'm making him about 20-21, 8 years older than Hinata. **

**(2): Yup. This universe has cars. Let's say there are also roads. Done.**

**(3): Kizashi is really the name of Sakura's father. Her mother's real name is Mebuki. These are their actual names.**

**(4): It's Karin's favorite food. I don't know how to describe it for you.**

**(5): Naruto really is the name of fishcake. (Japanese, at least) And the story of the origin of Naruto's name was true. Jiraiya basically named his god-son. After ramen. Which he loves.**

**(6): Karin really did give up on Sasuke. She said it, too. In both the manga, and anime. Am I the only one who remembers it?! I'll even give you the chapter and page, and maybe even the episode if you don't believe me. Seriously, people. How is it that only **I **remember this moment?!**


	14. Chapter 14: Spying ErrObserving

Saturday, September 22nd, 2012.

**Hey. Still no more reviews for A Couple Moments on the Road of Life. I'm upset.**

**It's been, what? 2 weeks? I might have waited another week if I wasn't so unsure if I'd be able to and if it wasn't Shikamaru's birthday today. Tomorrow's is Ino's. No, I'm not doing a double-update. Why? No reviews. **

**Oh. A week ago, I found a spider crawling up my chest at my friend's pool party (I wasn't swimming, but still). I have really bad arachnophobia. I screamed and jumped up, wiping myself furiously. I grabbed my sister's purse and shook it, trying to reassure myself that it wasn't in there. The adults came up to me and ask what happened, and tried to search for the spider. They said it was dead, but I wouldn't go back under that mini ramada. I didn't for the rest of the party. I put on my shoes and just walked around the pool, ignoring my legs' tired protest. I was walking for like half an hour.**

**I barely spoke -I was too shaken up. I was shaking literally, too. I kept muttering to myself, "I'm okay. I'm okay. God is with me, I'm okay." But it didn't make me feel better. Every time I thought about the spider, I'd wipe my torso furiously, and every other time I passed my sister I asked her to check my back. (She was laying her legs in the hot tub, since we don't have swimsuits)**

**Whenever something like, I become very quiet and speak like a small child, trying to keep myself from crying, speaking as little as possible. Sometimes, that happens when I wake up from sleeping, but without the fear factor. It wasn't even a big spider! But it's odd that I couldn't feel it until I saw it on my chest. I'm ultra-sensitive -I feel nearly everything! And I haven't cried more than like 5 tears for years! I only shed a few tears at heart-wrenching songs, or moments like in anime where my favorite characters die or something!**

**For the next few days, I kept wiping at my chest whenever I thought about it and felt fear. Now, a week later, I still have to look down.**

**Anyway, as I walked around the pool, trying not to cry, I made a revelation. As much as a hopeless romantic I am, I doubt whether or not I'll find love and marry. I'll wait for it to find me. I'm not going out to search for boys. I don't even think I'll get a boyfriend till college! I'm in my last year of middle school, people!  
Moving on. The revelation was: I wanted someone to hold me during times like this. Not someone who'd laugh a little and tell me that I'm being ridiculous but hold me anyway, or my sister, my bro if he was around (he's 27 in Missouri. I'm in Arizona [US]), and my parents aren't an option. I want someone I can cry one, who'll comfort me. I want someone who loves me romantically to do that. A boyfriend. A lover. Something like that. I realized then how much I wanted it. But I knew I'd have to wait. Quite a bit of time might I add. I'm still a 13-year-old, somewhat antisocial and socially awkward, girl, even though I'm pretty mature for my age. I'm not going to let a guy in like that easily. I also don't want to get together with someone and let them in only to break up later, even though that's a guarantee in a first time relationship.**

**I want someone to love and love me back. That's one of my biggest wishes now, but not one I'm going to go out of my way to fulfill.**

**Anyhoo. I really needed someplace to let that out. And now you know of my arachnophobia. **

**Also. To this day, I'm not sure if I was hallucinating the spider or not. I don't remember ever seeing it again, or feeling it when I swiped at my chest. And it had been a while since I last hallucinated. Yeah. I hallucinate. It's usually accompanied by hearing things, schizophrenia. It was more frequent at the end of 5th grade when they started. That's also when my dad banned me from reading about Mythology, "my cartoons", and anything pertaining witches, demons, monsters, or other gods. (I had just read the PJO series 3 times over) He thought that's what caused it and was straying me away from God.**

**Of course, Scooby-Doo is an exception. I grew up on it, damnit!**

**My mom doesn't care as long as I'm reading. So I borrowed the Heroes of Olympus Series from my friend. And read the Beautiful Creatures series but didn't let the book near my dad. It was easy since he didn't ask. **

**And as for my "cartoons"? I kept watching anime. Whatever. He's not as strict anymore, and he's in Los Angeles most of the time, since he got a job there. **

**TIME FOR DISCLAIMER! STOP RUNNING OFF ON TANGENTS, ME!**

**Shikamaru: Woah...that was...deep. We now know of your tiny mental instability, your fear of spiders, and your ban on the supernatural, which is basically null now.**

**Me: Yeah. **

**Shikamaru: You think that schizophrenia has to do w/ your dreams of the future?**

_(I have dreams of the future, and they happen, but I don't know that I dreamt about them till it happens. That "moment" can happen many times over. I call it "Deja-vu" (sp?). Example: I'm in class and a teacher says a certain line, I'm sitting in a certain way, dressed in a certain jacket cuz we have uniforms, and say something. The whole moment(s) is familiar. I know it's happened before. That's my "Deja-vu". Sometimes, that moment happens many times over, with a variation of clothing, venue, etc. It baffles me cuz I know it shouldn't have happened before. Like I've only crashed in a Go-kart once. I'm fine, though. No injuries. It's really weird. The last time I went to Kenya, I hit an all-time record cuz I counted it happening over 100 times. And I was there for a month. I barely get that many in a YEAR.)_

**Me: Probably. I hope I can still get a career in verbal therapy and psychiatry if this happens...**

**Shika: Anyway. I think the A/N's longer than the chapter. EPC doesn't own Naruto. She only owns the plot and scrolls, really. If she owned it, she'd be an English voice actor as a side job. Is she? No.**

**HAPPY B-DAY SHIKA!**

**GET READIN' PEEPS! **

**REVIEW A COUPLE MOMENTS! **

**Let's lighten the mood a little, shall we?**

**And no. This chapter doesn't center around Shika even though it's his b-day. He's mentioned, though.**

* * *

This=regular  
_This=thoughts or scroll  
This=Ino to Sai while she's a bird and one line of the scroll  
_This=Sai to Ino while she's a bird

* * *

Chapter: 14: Spying. Err…Observing

**Tenten POV**

I walked out of my apartment, heading to where Neji and I usually train together. _I know I told him to find another training partner, but he needs to develop the Kaiten. _

When I got there, I found him practicing his Kaiten on his own. It was greatly underdeveloped. _Yup. I was right to come._

"You'll never get the hang of it like that, Neji-kun." I said, twirling a kunai on my finger.

His head snapped up, turning to me. "Tenten?"

I walked over to him, pulling more weapons from the scrolls I always carry. "Come on. It's 'an ultimate defense', right? Let's test and harden it, then." I threw 3 shuriken at him. Knowing what I was doing, he quickly spun into the Kaiten; one of the shuriken got through, another spun with the chakra sphere a little bit then fell out, and the last was deflected.

"Needs a lot of work. Let's get started." I said.

"Wait. How do you know about the Kaiten? I thought you said you weren't a part of Team Gai for a while?" He was curious. Duh.

"I've seen some Hyuuga's use it. And I'm not part of Team Gai- I'm just a ninja who wants you to put up an interesting fight in the finals a month from now. Are we going to get started or not?"

"I knew you couldn't resist me for long, Tenten. No woman can't resist my ever-pulling charm." I was stunned for a second. _Wait a minute…that was a joke!_

I laughed. "Don't flatter yourself, Prince Charming. How about we get back to training, yes?"

In response, he smirked- _almost an amused smile-_ and started Kaiten again.

I sighed. Then smiled. "This is going to be one _long _month!" And charged at my friend in a blue orb.

* * *

**Ino POV, A week later**

_Now this is what I call a birds-eye view._

I had transferred my body into a pigeon's, observing the progress over my friends. My body was with Sai-kun in his apartment. We wanted to check over how everyone was doing in their training.

_Tenten-chan and Neji are training as usual. I just saw Shikamaru getting some tips from Asuma-sensei. Hinata's practicing her Jyuuken with Ko. Forehead and Karin are…practicing taijutsu together. Looks like she's giving Karin some tips._

"Ino, check out how Dickless and Cockatoo**(1) **are doing. Ugly said they might be getting suspicious about us." I heard Sai-kun tell my Inner Self. My Inner had taken over my body as she does when I do this jutsu so that my body isn't vulnerable; I awakened my Inner shortly before Sasuke left before. We developed this technique when I was 15, though she often doesn't take over for the sake of the Ino-Shika-Chou formation. She relays whatever happens to me, and I do the same to her.

"Hai, Sai-kun." She-...we-...I…said.

_Hmm…let's swoop down, shall we?_

"I think they're hiding something big from us." _Sasuke? Shoot! _I flew down into a tree a few feet from them. They didn't suspect a thing- I was a bird, after all.

"I think so, too, Teme. I mean, I don't remember any of the girls being so close, and for Ino to so suddenly give up on you…that's a little suspicious." _Naruto, too? Were we that obvious?_

"Well, I remember Sakura and Hinata talking sometimes, and weren't Ino and Sakura best friends before? The way Ino gave up on Sasuke is a little questionable, but it is possible she really did come to the conclusion to give up. Did anyone else notice a slight change and increase their chakra signature? It's like something was…sealed or something. But I'm glad Sakura has started being more serious on her training."

The 3 of them – Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi – were all sitting in a circle in clearing. _Naruto must be on a break from Jiraiya and Sasuke the same with Kakashi._

"That Sai-teme, too. He's a jerk and a little too friendly with our Sakura-chan." _Of course Naruto would say that._

Kakashi shot him an incredulous look.

"You're just jealous, Usuratonkachi." Sasuke said flatly.

"Am not! If anyone's jealous, you are, with less attention on you and on him instead! I saw the way you looked at them when they went off training together 3 days ago!" Sasuke glared. _Sasuke… jealous of Sai-kun? This is good!_

"I am not jealous. I'm just suspicious of our teammate being friendly with a suspicious guy." _Well, I know he thinks of Sakura as a friend, moreso without her fangirlism recently. So thinking he liked her is too far-fetched. But I didn't think he'd get __**jealous**__ of Sai. Well… Forehead always said he's the jealous type, even if he never showed it._

"I think all the girls may have something to do with it. That Karin girl -the redhead that healed Lee- she became a Konoha ninja. What happened for her to enlist as a Konoha kunoichi so easily instead of going back to Grass? Why would a Sand kunoichi, and a strong, sort of loyal one, ask us to help her brother, and tell us about what her country was doing with him? And how'd she know you're a Jinchuuriki, Naruto?" Kakashi's infamous book was out of sight, and he was seriously staring at his students.

"Now that I think about it, that Karin girl was about to get mauled by a giant bear in the Forest of Death before I got rid of it. I was passing through. She looked battered, and she was on her own. What about teammates? For that Sand girl, concern for her brother is one thing, but to go so far as practically begging for our help and Naruto's, there's something more to the story she gave us, and her father, the Kazekage, but she isn't going to tell us yet." _Damn, we better be more careful from now on._

Naruto crossed his arms and legs and then tilted his head in thought. "How'd she know so much about the Bijuu? Old Man Hokage didn't even seem to know that much, and Iruka-sensei told me that not much is known about Bijuu. The Old Man told him what happened because he trusts him and stuff, but all Sensei knew before was that there were more in different countries, but not much more than that. So how'd she know so much?"

"I think we should stay on our toes, now boys. But no spying on the girls or Sai, here me? Oh, and I have a surprise, too. Tenzo, come on out." Kakshi stood and gestured to the trees. _Sai, I've found Yamato._

"When he'd done doing whatever he's doing, lead him to my apartment."

Yamato stepped out, laughing lightly. "It's Yamato, now, Senpai."

Sasuke didn't beat around the bush. "Who're you?"

"My name is Yamato, a member of the ANBU Black Ops, which your sensei was previously a part of. I'm going to be a…how to say, teacher's aid, for your team."

"What for?" _Geez, for someone who grew up with a highly-regarded and kinda high-class family, he sure has manners doesn't he?_

"Yamato, isn't totally human, or born the way we were. Well, you are human, but you were born an experiment." Kakashi included.

"Experiment? But he looks fine to me!" Naruto was just confused.

"I was an experiment of Orochimaru, born from said experiment," started the kouhai of the gray haired man. "You know, the skinny, pale, snake freak? You've met him, I know. Hard to forget him."

"Back to the experiment." Sasuke said, his hand on his curse mark.

"Right. Anyway, the creep harvested cells from our first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and used them and other…properties and injected them into infants. However, I was the only one to survive." Yamato explained, sitting down in the circle next to Kakashi and Naruto.

"The First? Why him? I mean, he was the strongest and all, but what would that do for you? I doubt it'd make you the strongest ninja around. Just sayin'." The blonde inquired.

"The First was the only person ever to use and create Wood-Style jutsu, combining Earth and Water style. Chakra Natures, like Water and Wind, can't be combined to create something like ice. That's why such Natures are so rare. Ice is another example."

"But he was the only one for Wood." Sasuke said, understanding the little lesson.

"Yes. So because of those cells, I can use Water, Wood, and Earth style jutsu. But mostly wood. Orochimaru was probably planning to use me [and any other now-grown infants, if they'd lived] as fighter power or something, but when Lord Hokage found out about Orochimaru's experiments, he banished Orochimaru and salvaged what he could from Orochimaru's. I was one of them. I became a Konoha ninja, and here I am."

"But I don't see what that has to do with us." Naruto asked.

"I'm joining the team because, just in case you lose control Naruto, I can stop you. But it'll apply more in the near future." Yamato gave a small, mysterious smirk and looked my way. _Sai-kun, we should probably get Hokage-sama to get Tsunade soon. Like, right after the Finals would be great._

"Alright. I'll ask him soon, Beautiful."

I tried not to swoon. **_You so have a crush on him. No, not a crush. We might be in love!_**

_Shut up, Inner. Pay attention in my body, would you?_

"You can?" Naruto asked, snapping me back to the rest of the world.

"Yes."

"How?" Sasuke was curious.

"You'll find out when it happens." It was clear Yamato-tachiou wasn't going to say anything else.

"That's enough, Ino. You can check on somebody else, but return to fetch Yamato-taichou later."

_Hai._

I left just as I heard Kakashi-sensei say, "Let's get back to training, boys."

* * *

***That sunset, at the clearing where the girls and Sai had met before. It's now their meeting place.***

**Temari POV**

I was the last to arrive, and I noticed a brown haired man I recognized as Yamato sitting in the circle with us.

I sat down between Karin and Tenten.

"So Yamato's finally here, huh?" I commented.

Ino nodded. "Found him earlier today, actually."

"I see. What can he do now? Didn't Naruto need Tsunade's necklace for Yamato to control Kurama, in the unlikelihood that Naruto loses control? I mean, Kurama might do it every now and then for show, but as far as I know, he remembers everything from the future. And told Naruto nothing."

Sakura spoke up. "He does remember, and yes, Yamato-taichou needs it. Kurama visited me last night in a dream, somehow. It was…creepy to say the least. He told me he remembers."

Yamato spoke, too. "I hope Kurama won't do anything until Naruto gets the necklace. I went with Sai earlier to request for Hokage-sama to send Naruto and Jiraiya-sama to get Tsunade the day after the Chuunin Exams. The sooner, the better. Granted, he'll be dead, but he'll tell Jiraiya the day before the Finals."

"What about Matsuri? How's she doing in Sand all alone?" Tenten asked. Everyone turned to me. I designated myself to keep in contact with Matsuri.

"She's been training with Ittetsu**(2) **and Sari**(3)**, who'll be her teammates when she becomes a genin. Luckily, for some reason, Gaara already gave her the Johyo**(4)**, so she's training with that, too. She's fighting off any assassins that come to her because she's sort of close to Gaara. Almost can't wait for us to get home." I answered. _She must be so bored, not being able to do anything yet._

"What about the guys, Ino-chan? Didn't you and Sai-san observe everyone?" Hinata asked.

"Team 7 is suspicious. Mostly of me and Sakura. But I think we'll be fine." Ino answered. _I'm mostly worried about Shikamaru. _"Shika's…also suspicious but not enough to take action or anything. You know how lazy he is." _Well that answers that._

"Have you checked out everything in your scroll, Yamato-taichou?" Sai asked.

"Yes. According to the…scroll, it may update new things. Have you checked if there was anything new?"

"…No." Sai replied.

"Then let's do it!" exclaims Ino, taking her scroll out of her ninja pouch.

I did the same.

_No…no…nothing…oh!_

"Shit." Karin mutters. "Apparently I was attacked by Orochimaru before Anko had rescued me. _Fan_-freaking_-tastic_!"

"That's not all." Sakura observed.

I nodded.

_After the first month or so of time travel, you may experience pain while activating chakra. This is because your body and chakra is trying to suppress your actual strength from the future, which is fitted into your mind due to your memories. Your body can't take that amount of chakra and mental stress that it may have in the future. It must be suppressed completely and you will have to re-learn your jutsus. Some may be very easy to learn again, or your body may remember it, but some you'll have to re-learn from scratch. _

_If this strength wasn't suppressed, frankly, your body will explode from the overload of chakra. But it won't happen unless you were Naruto and went back to the past and decided to use Sage Mode or Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. But luckily, you don't have that sort of chakra levels or anything, so you'll be fine. You'll just experience pain (rarely extreme), cramps, headaches, and maybe even a fever._

_The period of time the suppressing will take isn't long. It should end completely around the Invasion. But you'll still feel pain for the next week or more. Other than that, at random times or when you strain yourself within the next year or pushed yourself past your limits for who-knows-how long._

_On a different note, you will often have dreams of memories of the future (it has nothing to do with the issue above) so when you wake up, make sure be able to differentiate btween dreams and reality accordingly. Other dreams may be of the future, but not actual events that happened, or nightmares. So, if you have dreams of marrying somebody, don't worry- it's just a dream._

_Hinata may sleep for a longer period of time than normal. No longer than a day or two. This is because of her death and revival in the future. She also may experience times when her heart slows down and her temperature drops to that close of a corpse. However, her heart may actually stop. She's likely to still be conscious, but she's not dead. It isn't possible for her to die like this. So if she happens to be unconscious during these occasions and she was fine before, don't worry. She may take days or hours to return back to normal or wake, though. These will be rare, luckily._

_That's all for now, guys._

"Exploding…how delightful." Tenten said dryly.

"At least it won't happen to us, right?" Hinata said, trying to find the bright side. _Is there a bright side when you can be clinically dead without being DEAD, Hinata? You surprise me sometimes._

All of us nodded, thankful we weren't someone like Naruto.

"And I sent it!" All heads turned to Sakura at her outburst.

"Sent what, Forehead?" Ino asked. **_Of course it's Ino. No one else would call her that._**

"Well, _Pig_, I just sent Itachi a message to give me a sample of his blood."

"Why?" We were all wondering. _Why does she need his blood? I heard he was ill but…_

"I want to find out if I can do anything about his illness. Even prolong his life. In fact, from what I can gather from the memories he scattered among us of our own, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, his own, and others, Itachi had been living as long has he did due to medication. That could be the case in maybe a year. The only reason Sasuke-kun won his fight with him is because Itachi was dying in the first place, and Itachi wanted him to win."

"…Well. That's…terrible." Yamato commented.

The pinkette nodded. "That's why I want to do something. If Itachi comes back to Konoha and isn't killed or anything, I want him to live a while with his brother at least. God knows they both need it. I want his last moments to be good ones."

I smiled a little. _She's definitely changed from that brat she was beginning to grow out of in this point of time._

"I'm going to head home now, guys. The sun's setting." Ino got up and stretched.

"Me, too. Would you mind if I walked you home, Beautiful? Your place is on the way to mine." _Haha…I'm sensing some budding romance in the air!_

**_This is Sai, remember? He probably doesn't even know what he's implying or feeling._**

_…Right. _

**_Since when were you the romancey type, anyway?_**

_Matsuri's a hopeless romantic and I was hanging out with her a lot before the war started._

**_…Oh. Right. Forgot._**

Ino's blush almost went undetected. Almost.

"Sure. Let's go." Sai held his elbow out like they do in the movies.

Ino was shocked for a minute, and Sai looked confused as to why she hadn't taken it yet. Then, after a moment, she hooked her arm with his and the two headed to their destination(s), while the rest of us were snickering quietly in the background.

"Haha…I have to…hehe…go, too. See you- haha!- tomorrow, Sakura. I'm the assistant team leader. Hehe…" Sakura nodded and bid Yamato farewell, and we watched the tall man disappear among the trees.

I was next to go. "See ya. I gotta make dinner for the guys. I swear those guys can't make a freaking decent meal aside from cereal and toast. And you don't need to cook those! Well, toast you well…toast."

And I left through the trees, hearing my friends' goodbye's behind me.

**_I miss hanging out with Shika…_**

_I hate to admit it, but hanging out with that lazy ass was entertaining. I still want to beat him in Shogi!_

**_It'll never happen, honey._**

_I could always make fun of him till I get an opportunity to be friends again. Meaning after the Invasion._

**_But I don't want that!_**

_Then what do YOU want, then, Inner?_

**_I want to be more than friends! I mean, you felt the chemistry between us?_**

_…Are you smoking pot in my head or something?_

**_No! Ugh…we'll deal with this some other time._**

_How about never?_

**_You're just as stubborn as Tenten is when she denies doing anything beyond what friends do with Neji._**

_…Are you saying you think she had sex with him or something?_

**_No! I meant kissing!_**

_Why are you my Inner?_

**_Because you aren't MY Inner._**

_…Am I the only one that was totally confused by that statement?_

**_To be honest…I didn't get a word I said either._**

I sighed. _This is going to be a long mission._

* * *

**The stuff on Yamato's mostly true, if not completely. He WAS an experiment by Orochimaru using Hashirama's cells. I think I researched this when I made the chap. I can't remember.**

**(1): **Cockatoo=Sasuke's nickname. We needed something new after "Chicken-butt" and he can't say "Traitor" without explaining why.

**(2):** Ittetsu is an Suna ninja. In canon, he's older than Matsuri, and not close to her, but this time, I'm making him friends w/ her and Sari, as well as teammates.

**(3): **Sari's another Suna ninja. I'm making it so Ittetsu and Sari are 13-14 (a year older than most of the charas, same age as Team Gai) and were a 2-person team until Matsuri completed her Genin training, so she joined them. They're all Genin. If you didn't know, Matsuri was already a year older than Gaara in canon, so I don't need to change her age. I'm going to try to incorporate some IttexSari. If you didn't already know, this is a GaaMatsu.

**(4):** Matsuri's weapon. In a filler around the end of Part 1, a ninja academy was opened up in Suna, and the Sand Sibs were the first sensei, more or less. Only one person wanted to be Gaara's student and that was Matsuri. She was more scared of weapons than of him. Gaara helped her get over it and gave her the weapon. Gaara was kidnapped, and Naruto and the others were called to help Matsuri get him back. Shukaku was almost pulled out of him. I haven't seen that filler in a while, but that's mainly what happened.  
In this story, since you already know how Gaara met Matsuri, Matsuri's parents were killed in a bandit raid with weapons sticking out of them and was on the streets. After she started living w/ the Sand Sibs, she begged to be taught to be a ninja. They trained her privately for a while (meaning, Gaara) and helped her get over her fear of weapons she developed after the death of her parents. Gaara gave her the Johyo and she continued ninja training w/ Baki, til now she's officially a Genin. Now you know the story.

**Just ask if you have any questions.**

**REVIEW! **

**REVIEW A COUPLE MOMENTS!  
**


	15. Chapter 15: Late, Teasing, & Kittens

**Should have been:Wednesday, October 10th, 2012 and the part of editing and top A/N.**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY NARUTO. ****Notice the lack of exclamation points.**

**Thursday, October 11th, 2012, for part of the editing and end A/N.   
**

**I'm so frustrated. **

**I spent over an hour with my mom nagging at me and yelling to come downstairs to eat dinner every 2 seconds finishing editing to post this chap. Then, when I finally finished, I clicked save and I had to re-login. I did, and there was no Chapter 15, so I have to re-do this. **

**I want to release a few tears. That's my crying substitute, since I won't let myself cry. And even that's rare. I'm that frustrated and angry. And if my mom wakes up and sees me still typing, she'll yell at me more and piss me off more (not that I let her know, I'm good at bottling up anger and not releasing it) cuz she ALWAYS repeats herself a million times. If there's one thing I've grown to hate almost as much as spiders, it's being repeated things. I think I broke my (sorta) friend's (more like 3-year acquaintance, but still) heart and made him hate me when I freaked out after he asked me out. More like, the ENTIRE GRADE asked me out. (3 weeks into 6th grade) NO ONE would shut up about Leo asking me out, and eventually, I freaked out (I don't remember if he ended up straight up asking me in person, but he was around) and refused him as nicely as I could. He ended up becoming more of a trouble kid for the rest of the year, and was suspended (or expelled?) eventually for pulling the fire alarm when there wasn't a fire. He didn't come back the next year, and I'm afraid of seeing his brother around school because I'm afraid he'll hate me, even though I've never talked to his bro. I wanted to apologize, but I was to afraid and didn't get the chance, and I'm still haunted by it.**

**Anyway, I'll less bitchy about the "no reviews for A Couple Moments thing". I won't update this Sat. or the next, though. Sorry.**

**I REALLY AM happy about any review I get.**

**Disclaimer:  
**

**Naruto: Since it's my b-day, I do the disclaimer. She doesn't own it. If she did, she wouldn't be so frustrated now.**

**Me: You sound dead. **

**Naruto: You're almost-crying mood is affecting me.**

**Me:...**

**Link for ACM: s/8487634/1/A-Couple-Moments-on-the-Road-of-Life-Repost**

**I have a facebook. **Epic Otaku Cherry**.**

**Read.**

**(On Thursday now) Better mood now.**

**Oh!**

**WARNING!: Inner Sasu makes an appearance, and he's a perv. Warning ya.**

**Oh, HEY!: Someone just threw something at my bedroom window. (t's 6:43 pm now, dark) It was round, and I guess it fell back outside since it was in my room, and my blinds were still on the sill. Scary. Now, I have a like 7-inch diameter hole in my window, and a bunch of glass on my bed. Scary, and am I going to sleep with my sis for now? She hogs the blankets. **

* * *

Chapter 15: Late, Teasing & Kittens

**2 Weeks before the Finals and 1 week since the last chapter…**

**Sasuke POV**

"Ugh!" the dobe, aka Naruto, groaned. "When are they gonna be here? I mean, Sai-teme's new, but seriously? What kind of Chunin is this late?"

_Well Kakashi's a Jounin and former ANBU and look at him._

"Sakura's never this late…" Kakashi speculated. I nodded. It's 9:37. We were supposed to meet at 9:20. _What's keeping those two? Is it just a coincidence that they're **both** late?_

I wasn't sure. Sakura's been changing quickly these past few weeks- since the Forest of Death. I'm aware why her hair was cut, and why she's keeping it that way- _"It represents…me finally acknowledging myself as kunoichi and to become strong. I don't want to be left behind anymore." _

At least, that's what she said. _What does she mean by left behind?_

But something else is up. Before you ask, no, it's not her fangirlism. She was starting to be more…tolerable just before the exams. Yes, it's odd, but who am I to complain? She's still nice to me and everything, but she's given up on trying to get me to like her. I think it's cuz**(1)** she is satisfied being friends. I actually acknowledge her as one, you know.

**_And she's one of your precious people, and other best friend. Aren't you a little lonely without all the attention? _**

Before I can answer my now 2 week-old annoyance, Naruto's outburst cut me off.

"Hey! Sai-teme! Why are you so late?!" I looked up to find the pale, fake-smiling teen walking toward us in his ROOT outfit, a book in his hand. If this is new to you, he officially entered out team a while ago. So now, we have 6 members in total: me, Usuratonkachi, Sakura, Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun. I…was distracted with something." He walked up to us, and leaned against the red bridge across for me. You know the one we always meet at?

"With what?" This was me.

He looked down for a minute, in thought. Then asked, all of us, "What is love?"

Kakashi actually dropped his book, Naruto choked on something imaginary, and my jaw dropped a little with my eyes wide.

"W-what?" I asked. _Great. I stuttered. I never stutter._

"I already know a little about familial and friendly, and love for your home. Beautiful and Sakura already told me about that. I want to know about romantic love. You know, the stuff in books and manga and stuff? Except the real thing. I asked Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei, but Asuma just choked on his cigarette and then had to leave to his team, and they took him to the hospital cuz he was really told me something, but it was little, then looked solemn and then had to leave because Shino-san**(2)** was calling her for training with the rest of the team." His face was serious, but had a touch of sadness and confusion.

**_You know, I actually kinda feel bad for the guy._**

_For once, I agree with you, Inner._

From what I heard and was able to gather on my own, Sai is mostly emotionless, but not by choice, unlike me. And he really doesn't understand these things –social etiquette…social behavior…hell, even some slang and expressions! Trying desperately to know how to feel again…how is that like, really?

**_Ooh, watch out Konoha! The world's got a new full-time avenger and part-time poet on the loose!_**

_Shut up, damn you!_

"You like Ugly, don't you, Dickless?" I noticed he transferred back to the nicknames which showed he's a little more relaxed now, but he's still serious.

I looked at the blonde. **_You and I both don't like that he likes Sakura. I know I want her to be ours eventually, even though we don't love her now. _**

_…What the fuck are smoking in there? Sappy Gas?_

**_Whoa. Tone down the language a little, would you?_**

Kakashi once told me that if I was ever going to love someone that he thinks I'd be a passionate, but possessive and possibly obsessive lover, if not slightly dark. "And you're already pretty possessive enough in the first place," he said. I didn't believe him. _Personally, I think when he went to the hospital for a physical that morning, the (fangirl) nurses had made him inhale some wacky gas to make him pass out so they can violate him, but it didn't quite work and the gas affected his brain for the rest of the day. It's been (almost) done before. Sounds logical enough to me._

I still don't.

**_Because feeling jealous of Naruto and his more…intimate relationship with Sakura does NOT annoy you at times. (Sarcasm) Or when you saw how determined Naruto felt about bringing Gaara to a sane set of mind, knowing he wanted to become his friend, doesn't bother you either. (SARCASM!) "They're MY friends, not yours!" is what I believe your jealousy can be translated to._**

I ignored him.

…But maybe Kakashi is onto something.

"Well…actually," my ears pricked at the sound of Naruto answering Sai's question. "I'm kinda…getting over her now." _**I'm listening...**_

Kakashi actually put his book away –after he picked it back up- and he and I both turned our attention to Naruto, noticing that his ears were turning red and his cheeks were on their way. _His whiskers make it even weirder looking._

"I know I really liked her and all, but she confronted me a couple days ago, saying to give up on her." _Now this is interesting. _"She said to stop this crush while it was still a crush because it'll only hurt me in the end. She also said she was sounding ridiculously cheesy and to forgive her. I asked her why she was saying this, and she replied, and I quote, 'I love you a lot Naruto, believe it or not, but not the way you want me to. I don't believe I ever can, either. I don't want to get your hopes up and have it crush you in the end. Love is more powerful and painful than you may think.' Then I asked her what I was supposed to do, no one would love a demon anyway. Then she replied, 'You aren't a demon, you imbecile! Moron, yes! Demon? No!'"

I smirked, a Naruto laughed a little. This actually had humor in it, no sadness. "Then she said, 'I can't say much but there is someone out there who cares for you a lot. I suggest giving her a chance.' I tried to get it out of her about whom, but she would only giggle and say, 'No way, it's a secret! She'll tell you when she's ready.' Then, Hinata-chan came up to get Sakura and start their training session. I think she heard a bit of what Sakura and I were saying, but anyway, she blushed, said hi and the two left. Since then, I started seeing her more as a sister and other best friend, rather than a romantic interest. So no, Sai, I don't. But I do understand what you were getting at."

I sweat-dropped. **_Dude, even YOU know who that this girl that likes him is Hinata. Dobe can be so stupid sometimes. How oblivious can he get?_**

_I don't even want to go there. A wise person once told me never to underestimate the limit of people's obliviousness, density, and just plain lack of common sense._

**_Who was it?_**

_…I forgot. For all I know, it could have been an actual person, anime/manga/manhwa_**(3)**_ character, novel, or who knows what. I'm leaning towards person, though._

**_Wait a minute. How come he can remember that much of his conversation with Sakura when he couldn't even remember our passcode in the Forest of Death, which we were taught about in the Academy?_**

**__**_Didn't I just answer that for you above?_

Sai didn't say anything at first. Just looked into space, thinking. Pondering.

"How about we go find out what Sakura's doing? It's 9:44 already." Kakashi interrupted the silence.

Sai blinked and seemed to just notice that Sakura hadn't arrived yet, although he mentioned her a while ago.

"She's not here yet? That's odd; she doesn't peg me to be the type to be late. Maybe she's at her apartment."

"Apartment? I thought Sakura-chan lived with her parents?" I agreed with Naruto. _When and why had she moved out?_

Sai was surprised, and I applaud myself for realizing it, since there wasn't much emotion on his face to discern that.

"You didn't know? She moved out like right after the preliminaries. Apparently, Karin is her next-door neighbor, now that she's a Konoha citizen."

"How do you know this? I don't see why Sakura-chan would tell you over me, her beloved Naruto-kun!? Her favorite!" I scoffed. _Quit flattering yourself, Usuratonkachi. I'm her favorite. It's obvious._

"She didn't. I heard from Ino. She probably forgot to tell you all. You've been training separately and vigorously, and she's training, too."

He started heading toward the village, away from the various training grounds around us and this bridge.

Without turning, he said. "Come on, I know where it is."

We followed him.

* * *

We found ourselves at an apartment complex in front of an apartment door, 7L**(4)**. I recognized this as one of the candidates for my own apartment when I wanted to move out of the Uchiha Manor when I was younger. It was pretty good, I remember, but just not my taste. And too many people near me. _7 huh. Maybe that's not a coincidence…_

"Sakura? Sakura? It's us- you're late for our mission… Sakura!" Our sensei knocked on the door. Still no answer.

Sai pulled something from his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole.

"Hey, Sai, what ar- what the hell?! Why do you have a key?!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sai looked up. "Beautiful gave it to me to borrow, somehow knowing that I'd need it. Why?"

"Well I don't know, 'cuz a teenage dude having the keys to our teenage female friend's apartment is kinda-" I cut the Dobe off, turning the knob and entering the threshold of the apartment. "Let's go already and see what the hell is going on."

The others followed in after me.

The place was mostly neat, but a little messy. Like the way you expect home to be like- you know where everything is and it's pretty neat, most of the time. It smelled like…something. The apartment was a little small, but room enough for a couple people in the living room and cozy. **_Now I finally understand the saying, "Smells/Feels like home."_**

As we headed to what we assumed to be her bedroom, I looked at the bookshelves she had lined up against the walls. They reached my shoulders, and only one was full with some books in the other. They seemed to be a mix of medical books, novels, and manga.

_I forgot she was a bookworm._

"Hey, boys. Do you hear that?" I tried to listen in, to hear what Kakashi was talking about.

_"…Don't lost hope, and don't let go,  
Cause' you should know…"**(5)**_

We followed where the music was coming from.

It led us to a door that was slightly ajar.

I opened it and found a bed with red and white sheets, and soft green carpet. There was also a wardrobe, and a desk with a laptop with a cherry blossom designed cover beside the bed. Next to the laptop, was the iPod touch we got her on our Team 7 anniversary.

We each decided to get each other one, so she got a red one with a white circle -like her shirt- and a cherry blossom in the middle. (Custom designed. Not easy to get.) I got a dark blue one with the Uchiha fan on the back. Naruto an orange one with that had a red swirl surround by a white ring on the back**(6)**. Only Sakura seemed to know what it meant, but she wouldn't tell us. Kakashi got a gray one with dark green swirls and the silhouette of a wolf on the back.

We even got Yamato and Sai one; Yamato's was wood design with a tree on the back, and Sai's was a dark purple that was almost black with a paintbrush on the back. When we bought it a week ago, Sakura insisted that it have a paintbrush on the back. Then again, she was also the one who told the gummy iPod cover custom design-maker**(7)** (that we knew pretty well, so they were at a discount price for us) how to design the damn thing, since we hardly knew the guy but she did. When Naruto asked why a paintbrush, she said that Sai was an artist.

Anyway, her iPod was playing the song._ **Well. This isn't something I want to listen to if I'm in a good mood. This is sad, damn it! I'm in tears, in here!**_

_"If it makes you sad at me,  
Then it's all my fault and let me fix it please"_

Then, before we knew it, the bathroom door that we never noticed opened, and out stepped our friend in a towel, her hands drying her hair with another towel, eyes closed, surrounded by steam, singing along with the song.

**_"Cause you know I'm always all for you, Cause you know that I'm always all for you.  
What if what I want makes you sad at me?  
Then it's all my fault an let me fix it please…"_**(8)

She sighed, eyes still closed but heading to her bed, nonetheless. She hasn't seemed to notice our presence.

"Hmm…" She said. "Maybe Ino's right and I **do **listen to too many sad songs…but that doesn't mean I have to be sad or depressed when I listen to them, Pig…" Sakura continued humming with the music and sat down on her bed. Suddenly, she stiffened.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. She finally noticed us. "Did you guys…how long have you been here?"

Naruto, seeming to have recovered from shock first, though with a slight blush, grabbed Sakura's bare shoulders and shook them saying, "Why are you listening to something so sad, Sakura-chan? Did someone hurt you and you felt this would make you feel better? Huh? Tell me who it was, tell me!"

The rest of us guys sweat-dropped. _Who is he? Her overprotective father? And didn't you hear her say that she doesn't have to be sad or depressed to hear sad songs?_

She quirked an eyebrow. "No one hurt me Naruto-kun. I'm fine. I've just liked this song for a long time."

Naruto didn't seem to be paying much attention to Sakura's response. His eyes drifted down a little, to the towel covering her…naked body. And more importantly…her breasts. **_Oh, don't sound like you weren't looking either! Your eyes looked at those small, round orbs, many times since she got out! Although, Sai seems totally unaffected. I mean, Kakashi is too, but he's 28 and our sensei, but Sai…it's like he sees naked women every day or just doesn't care. _**

I'd like to say I wasn't looking. So, I did. _I did not! You pervert!_

But I knew it wasn't true. _I am 13…a guy…I DO have hormones. _But for some reason, my eyes kept going back to her small chest. And her legs. **_What beautiful, long, legs she has…_**

_Have I ever told you that I hate that I'm surrounded by hormone-crazed morons like Naruto, Naruto's sensei, Jiraiya, and Kakashi?_

**_Yeah, why?_**

_Have I ever told you that you're another one!_

**_Well, someone has to be hormone crazed._**

_. . ._

**_. . ._**

_Moving on…_

Sakura followed Naruto's gaze. Then her eyes widened and she jumped up, grabbing a pillow from and smacking Naruto's face with it, using her other hand to uselessly cover her chest (it's already mostly covered. What's the point?).

"GET OUT YOU PERVERTS!" She shrieked.

Sai, Kakashi and I hastily left the room, wondering what the hell was in that pillow of hers to send Naruto out of the room, or if it was just her strength. Naruto did try to convince us that Sakura had monster strength, but it only came out whenever she hit him. _Maybe he was right._

We sat on the couch, stock still, and Naruto was getting up from the floor, rubbing his head.

"Ugh…I'll never look at pillows the same way again…" When he grabbed a spot on one of the love seats and picked up a book that was next to him. In fact, I noticed that her bed and couches all had some books on it.

Before I can think more of it, Sakura emerged from her room, with a little a blush, fixing what I assume to be a medical pouch on the back of her dress, and her iPod in her other hand.

"Uh…hey. Let's forget that happened, alright?" We all nodded. Well, except for Naruto.

"It's nothing we haven't seen, right Sakura-chan? And not only the hot springs, what about those times you wore a swimsuit?" He had a point, but this wasn't the time to point that out. _He really needs to learn tact. He's going to get himself killed one day…_

"Shut up, you!" She hit him over the head, albeit lighter than usual. She took a glance toward Sai and I immediately knew that she was expecting some kind of remark from him. Surprisingly, he said nothing.

"What was the song?" Kakashi asked. "What If by Safetysuit." She replied.

"Hey, Sakura?" I asked.

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun?" She was obviously curious at what I was asking her.

"Why are there books everywhere? On your bed, this couch…" I hung off.

"Oh!" She blushed, seemingly ashamed, scratching her cheek with a finger. "I uh, was studying medical ninjutsu late last night and fell asleep reading them in my bed. I woke up a little while ago."

"That doesn't seem to be all you're reading, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, his face buried in a manga.

He closed it and showed us the cover.

"I didn't know you read this! I love this manga! I was just waiting for the 15th effing chapter, damnit! There's only 1 volume so far cuz online, it's only gotten so far as 14 chaps and she hasn't updated in like a year! I mean, her other manga are updating fine, but just not this one! I was so glad when it finally updated. Now, I'm waiting for 16." The cover said Pureblood Boyfriend**(9)**. _Shoujo_**(10)**_ for sure. So why's Naruto into it?_

"Give me that!" She took the book, and held it close to her chest. **_It's that chest again…oh how lucky that manga is!_**

_I'm ignoring you._

"Oh, I recognize that. Pureblood Boyfriend. Ino says it's one of her favorite shoujos. She said it's a perfect combination of romance, slightly dark and twisted love, vampires, blood, and a bit of action. Not overly cheesy and some of the best portrayal of vampires she's ever read. Although dark romance isn't much of her thing, she loves it. And the action just makes it better. At least, that's what she says." We turned to the pale boy who spoke.

"Oh. Ino-pig. So that's how you guys got a key inside in the first place." Sakura simply replied.

"She also said that you're a sucker for romance. And that you're practically in love with dark romance. That you love those kinda twisted, possessive romances, not including incest. You're not a fan of it. Unless it was accidental**(11)**, but still."

We turned to the slowly redding female. I quirked an eyebrow.

That was enough for her to sigh and answer. "Yeah…I like it….but I also read a bunch of shounen, too! One Piece**(12)** is my fave! I also read a lot of novels."

Naruto clapped, walking up to her. He held her face and kissed her cheeks, reminding me of those movies where regal very touchy-feely Italians and French greeted each other (no offense) and hugged her.

"I. Think. I'm. In .Love." He looked serious, but we all knew he was joking.

She giggled and hugged him back. "Save it for that Secret Admirer of yours.*giggle*"

He pouted. "Maybe I would if you'd tell me who she is!"

She put a finger against her lips. "Sorry. No can do. Can't tell you even if I wanted to. Woman-to-Woman swear."

"Does it over-power best friends?" _Dobe…using a puppy dog face won't work on her, you moron._

"Yup! I may still be 13, but that doesn't mean I'm that age mentally!**(13)** A Woman-to-Woman swear can only be overruled by the one who set up the swear. Which isn't you."

"Well, phooey."

I rolled my eyes.

"Why are you guys here, anyway?" Sakura asked.

"Did you forget you had to meet us at the bridge at 9:20 for the mission, Sakura? It's 9:58 now." Kakashi stated, reading one of her Rave Master**(14) **mangas. Sai was reading one of her Law of Ueki**(15) **ones. I, myself, had a Katekyo Hitman Reborn!**(16) **in one hand, and a Soul Eater **(17) **in the other, trying to decide which to read.

**_Geez, Sakura has quite a few books. Although most are here in there, none of the volumes in order. I assume she just got what she could. Maybe we can help her complete her collection. _**

"Mission? What mis- holy crap!" She finally saw the clock and realized that her sensei was indeed right. She rushed back in forth getting the last of her things for the mission (she probably prepared them the night before but woke up late) and stood in front of the door a moment later, apologizing.

"I'm so sorry, guys! I must have slept past my alarm and haven't seen the clock 'till now! Let's go! Oh my God, I'm so sorry!"

We stood up and headed to the door after her, leaving the manga behind.

We followed her out of the apartment, and she was about to knock on the door to the right of her own, 8L, but the door opened before her knuckle could touch it.

It swung open to show a girl with short red hair, purple T-shirt saying "I'm not rude. I just won't hesitate to punch you in the face if you piss me off" and jean shorts and a brand new Konoha headband. The girl was putting her glasses on. I recognized her as Karin, the girl with the weird healing techniques that helped Lee from Grass. _She's a part of Konoha now…she did say something about being abandoned by her team…I wonder what happened._

**_Don't you remember? She was about to get mauled by a giant bear in the Forest of Death if we hadn't saved her! She was alone!_**

_Yeah…_

"I was wondering when you'd knock." She looked at us. "You know, you guys are pretty loud." She turned back to Sakura. "What do you need?"

"I'm going on a mission with the guys for about 2 days. Can you get my mail for me? And take care of my kittens and puppies?"

"Kittens? Puppies?" This was all of us, –but Sakura of course- we had no idea she had pets.

"You have pets? Since when?"

"2 days ago, I found a cat in the alley that was dying. She had 2 kittens around her. I tried to heal her, but she was well…dying, so I couldn't do anything. In her final moments, her kittens had nuzzled up to me, and she noticed and basically gave me a look that told me I was now in charge of her children. The puppies were the same with the puppies, though instead this time he was a dad. I assumed the mother died or something. I went to Hana and she told me they were all fine and 4 weeks now. Oh, and I'm not an animal whisperer, Naruto."

Naruto pouted.

"…Well. Do you have milk, litter, food, and everything?"

"Yeah. Even a large pet bed Hinata got for me. The puppies and kittens get along very well. They're like a big family."

"How many are there?"

"2 kittens, 3 puppies. Only one has a name. I'm giving the rest away and letting the new owners name them. In fact, I have one that I believe is just perfect for you, Karin!"

Karin looked at the pinkette incredulously, like she was waiting for her to say, "kidding!"

Finally, she sighed. "You're serious. Which one is mine then?"

"She's a white kitten with light blue stripes and light blue paws and ears, and a dark pink shade of eyes. Like yours. Ferserious. That's some weird genetics, but Hana said she was fine. You still have a copy of my apartment key, right? And my mailbox key?"

"Yeah. And don't think I'm oblivious to what you were implying either.**(18)** Besides, if I lost your apartment key, I could always go through that door that conveniently joins our bedrooms and apartments that was added by mistake. Now go. You're probably getting late. Shoo, shoo." She, well, shooed us away and closed her door.

Later, when we were exiting the village, Naruto interrupted the silence. "What did that Karin girl mean by 'don't think I'm oblivious to what you were implying'? And what was the name of the kitten you named?"

Sakura smirked slightly, then giggled. "It's a girl thing, Naruto."

"But what was the name of the kitten?" Sai asked.

"Oh, it was…um…*mumble*…"

"What?" I couldn't hear her, and I was curious.

"I said….*mumble*…"

"You're going to have to speak louder than that, Sa-ku-ra." I knew that when I did that, she would usually give in.

She did.

I couldn't say I was displeased by her blush.

"I said his name is…Sasuke."

"Sorry, I don't think I caught that." Naruto seemed to be cleaning his ear out with his pinkie. "I thought you said Sasuke."

"She did, Dickless." Sai added in. "So not only are you short and dickless, you're deaf, too?"

Cue shouting match with Sai. Well, against Sai. _I have to admit, that was kinda funny._

"I did say Sasuke, you morons!" Sakura exclaimed, breaking up their fighting.

I smirked. Again, I was not displeased. Pretty proud, actually. **_They say Pride is one of the 7 Deadly Sins. Sorry man, but I don't want to be like that little creepy kid in FMAB_**(19)**_. Or like HIM in FMA_**(20)**_._**

_…Well this isn't either of them, moron. Besides, FMAB's so much better than FMA, anyway._

**_You said it._**

"So why did you name it after me, huh?" I asked her.

There was the tiny blush again. **_She's so cute like that._**

_Shut up. She isn't cute._

**_Sometimes I wonder if you're gay. Not that there's anything wrong with people being gay, it's just wrong when it's you. I'm disappointed really. How do you plan on restoring your clan with a GUY?! It has to be your kid, remember! And I don't want you to end up with Naruto or Neji!_**

_I'm not gay, imbecile! Why did you choo- you know what? Nevermind. Now shut up. She's answering!_

"Because the little guy reminded me of you. His coat was the same color as your hair, and you have similar eyes. He's also pretty cocky, and loves attention for a cat. So what can I say? I was going to name him Kuromaru**(21) **or Yoru **(22) **or something like that, but Sasuke fit him better. He didn't like the others as much anyway. So I call him Sasu-chan, cuz he's much cuter than you." She stuck her tongue out at me.

_**If she doesn't put that back in, I might just take over and...do things. Ohh, what that tongue could do...and those lips...so pink...**_

_Ignore him, ignore him, he's not there, ignore him..._

I was kinda disappointed with the last part of her response, but then thought of something. "If I'm not cute, what am I then? Be honest... Are you going to answer, Sa-ku-ra?" I bent down a little to get closer to her face (I had grown about 2-3 inches taller than her, but Naruto's still the shortest), smirking even wider at the side of her heightened blush.

"Uh…you're…um…*mumble*"

I got even close her. _If I knew teasing her like this was this much fun, I would have done this a long time ago._

"What was that? I couldn't catch it…"

"*mumble*…"

"Hm?"

"I said that you're-"

"Hey, love birds! You done flirting yet?" I separated from her. I looked to where my teacher was standing with Naruto and Sai, and heard Sakura sigh with relief. _This isn't done yet, Sakura…_

"Hn." I put my hands in my pockets and followed my teammates ahead of me, feeling more than hearing Sakura following.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're really 13. That was impressive Sasuke." Kakashi gave me a thumbs up. _I'm not sure if I'm flattered or disgusted._

"Hn."

"After being interrupted while seducing teammate into almost stating what she thought of him in the looks department, he reverts back to just grunts." We all turned to Sai who had just murmured this, and seemed to be writing this in a book for what seemed like notes.

"Seriously? Geez. That's it. I'm going on ahead." Naruto went on ahead of us, Kakashi and Sai following.

I would've too, but something caught the end of my shirt and stopped me from jumping up into the trees after our team.

I looked at that something.

"You're not cute. You can be, sometimes, but usually no. You're…pretty handsome…and uh, hot." Her blush was matching her hair.

I smirked. "Why thank you, Sakura."

She mumbled something about shutting up and I couldn't help but think, _Note to self: do this more often._

"Come on. Let's go before we lose them." I nodded my head over to our teammates that were slowly getting out of sight. She nodded, then we both jumped together and followed.

_I can get used to this…._

* * *

**(1): **If you hadn't noticed already, I usually use "'cuz" instead of "because" or "'cause" in my writing. Why? Laziness. But I only do that in informal stuff. Not school. No way.**  
(2): **After his first appearance in the Prelims, Sai has had chances to bond a little with all the Konoha 11 (or 12 with Sasuke there...) and a bit with Kankuro even, being artists and all...he already knows Temari, but doesn't speak with Gaara much...just observes. Remember, Gaara is still pretty unstable, just less than in the anime. Oh, and the whole kill-Lee-in-the-hospital-&-Shika-and-Naruto-Gaara-confrontation won't happen. No need.**  
(3): **In lay-man (or was it lame-man? Not sure...I've mostly heard it, not read it...and I've seen different ways to write it...) terms, Korean manga. They're also backwards from regular manga, so they're the same (the way you read it) as English or American novels.**  
(4): **7=Team 7. L=Love. I went through every letter of the alphabet, but I kept it at L. Karin's apartment, 8L, doesn't have any meaning besides the L, but that doesn't really apply. She's the next door over. What else is she supposed to be? 11C?**  
(5):** I try to make songs quoted, underlined, and italicized, but the underlines always disappear in the saving process of this thing. But I always quote them, so I hope that helps you make the difference to lyrics being played and thoughts.**  
(6): **Uzumaki clan symbol. It was annihilated (the clan). Naruto, Karin, and Nagato are the only current survivors. Karin knows she's an Uzumaki since Itachi was there if I remember right when either Tobi/_ (Don't wanna spoil it for non-knowers) or Kabuto said it and he told her. Apparently Juugo's of the Juugo clan. His first name is his last name. Or his only name. I wish there was a last name for him...it'd be less confusing. **  
(7): **I doubt such a person exists. I couldn't resist putting this. Oh, and the fact that Team 7 had Sasuke for about a year by the time he left (though not this early) is likely true. In the beginning of Part 1, they were 12. By the end, they were all 13. (Their ages all say 12-13, and even the Sand Sibs say, 12-13, 14-15, & 15-16. So that means there was some time between the Exams and Sasuke Retrieval) So I just made it that they were a team for a longer time.**  
(8):** I try to make quoted, italicized, underlined, and bold lyrics being played AND SUNG. The underline pro'lly won't show, but if it's bold, italicized, and quoted, it's someone singing. I hope that helps tell the difference between Inners and Bijuu, though.**  
(9): **Pro'lly my fave Shoujo, just before Kaichou wa Maid-sama! (Love you Usui!) Check it out at .**  
(10): **Manga (and anime) aimed at adolescent/pre-pubescent/teenage girls. Some for younger like 9 or 10, or even 16 but still a shojou. It's pretty broad. Almost always centers around romance. Not always though. I have one I love with like NO romance. They usually don't center around adventure and action, though. But a manga can be shounen (see below #22) and shoujo at the same time. Magico, one of my fave manga, is both, that centers around adventure, magic, and love. It's not cheesy, (well, Shion is, but he's...Shion), and is really good. Check it out at kissmanga. It ended at 65 chaps, and the epilogue chap should be coming out sometime.**  
(11): **Yes, there's such thing. Parents DO separate children, whether it's divorce or what. It can happen. It's just rare. I think, "if you can, find someone else. Otherwise, if you 2 were meant to be, then let love prevail in the end. It'll choose." "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it's yours." I really hate incest, but for accidental, they didn't know, it's not their fault. **  
(12): **2nd fave anime/manga of all time. Right behind Naruto. It was my fave for 5 yrs straight until Naruto took over again. Please watch it. It may not seem all that great, mostly cuz of the earlier animation, but put that aside and see it. It'll change you forever. Plus, it's one of the few anime that will make you (almost, maybe) cry for a boat or a whale in FLASHBACKS! So you've already seen it, and you're crying again. Oh, and fun fact. Monkey D. Luffy, the main character, and Riza Hawkeye from FMAB, have the same English Voice Actor. Not Riza's FMA V/A, her FMAB one. I realized it when Riza was yelling at Mustang when he left his post to help her and Kain (and Black Hayate) with Gluttony. When I heard that, I thought it was Luffy yelling at Zolo for eating his meat or something. If Riza talked at a normal tone all the time, I wouldn't have noticed. Oh, and Luffy's English, Japanese, and Spanish V/A's are all girls. I think just about all of them are girls. Same for Naruto. Well, Japanese, English, and Spanish anyway. I don't know about any other language.**  
(13): ***hinthint* See what I did there?**  
(14): **Hiro Mashima's 1st manga. Heard of Fairy Tail? That's his second. A bunch of Rave Master went into FT: the Plues, Gray's design, a bit (since I keep mixing him up with Musica even though they're not alike at all), the insignia at the back of Makarov's cloak (it's not the FT sign, is it?), the name Siegrain, Jerrard and Mystogan's design entirely, Lucy's whole connection with her mother thing, Lucy's mom's name and uhh...stuff?, etc. The anime has 52 eps, and the manga continues it and has like 250+ plus chaps. It's great. You'll love it.**  
(15): **Awesome shounen. I love it. In a funny way, it takes "being green" and recycling to another level without trying. Oh, and Mr. K constantly reminds me of Kakashi. The "K", the hair, their mysteriousness, yeah...**  
(16): **Pro'lly my 4th or 3rd fave anime/manga EVA. It's contains the mafia, the strongest babies in the world, bullest, pills (not in a druggie way), the future, weird friends, REALLY hot guys (and hot girls, for you dudes), action, and a wimpy main character who had the nickname "No-Good" and an average of 17% in tests at the beginning of the anime. It's great that you see him mature and grow. I like that. The anime has 203 eps, the manga continues it at chap 282, and currently has 405 chaps, and I know it'll end soon. There's a chara early in the manga that doesn't show up in the anime, but shows up later in the manga, so to not get confused...how about you tell me if you want to see it and I'll tell you and give you sites to watch it, and a summary if you want to know more?**  
(17): **Maybe 3rd or 4th or 5th fave. The anime, about 1/2 or 1/3 way through becomes totally different from the manga, so I suggest watching and reading it. Oh, and Chrona is a boy in the anime's dub, but I'm not sure about the sub. If I was told correctly, they don't really specify. They keep changing. In the manga, the editor lately decided to call Chrona a girl there,so if you're not that far into it, rest assured, Chrona's a girl in the manga. It makes more sense since s/he's WAY more feminine there. Why does this happen? Ookubo (the creator) doesn't know or care about Chrona's sex.**  
(18): **What was I implying? SuiKa. If you noticed, the kitten's fur resembles that of Suigetsu's- but instead of a white-blue tint of hair, I made it white with light blue stripes. And have Karin's eyes. I may change them to purple so it's ALL Sui, instead of a representation of SuiKa. If you hadn't realized, I'm going to insert SuiKa in this story. Damn, I have a lot of couples...**  
(19): **Can't spoil it for the unknowers. (If you hadn't realized, I made up that word. I like it)**  
(20): **Again, can't spoil it for the unkowers.**  
(21): **Kuro=black. -maru=suffix for a boy's name. Together, it can mean Black Boy. Example: Shikamaru. Shika=deer. Shikamaru=deer/deer boy.**  
(22): **Yoru=night. Yes, it was mostly inspired by Shugo Chara's Yoru. I love Ikuto so much. Fave chara. And one of the overall-hottest-with-a-personality-so-I-love-them-not-just-cuz-of-their-looks-and-sexiness anime dudes I've ever seen.

**Shounen: **anime/manga aimed at adolescent-teen boys. Usually centers around action, adventure, or sometimes horror. Like I said, it's very broad, and there can be mangas both in the shounen and shoujo category.****

Damn. That's a lot.

**If you didn't see it in the beginning A/N, a rock was thrown at my bedroom window 1/2 an hour ago. (it's 7:15 now, at night, and it's been dark for a while) Scary. A police officer is here, and he found the rock. We just moved here a week ago (finished anyway) and I was on break last week. This week, I've been walking to and from school since we're so close. Damn.**

**Here's the link to ACM again: s/8487634/1/A-Couple-Moments-on-the-Road-of-Life-Repost**

**Remember, my facebook is **Epic Otaku Cherry**. (If you worry about my privacy, I have a personal one that I'm not going to give out just like that. This is my account for anime stuff) And my anime-me email is on my profile. The very top.**

** Again, I really DO appreciate the reviews, it just hurts that it seems everyone but 1 person hated what I felt proud to be one of my best work. Please review that, too.**

**With love,**

**Epic Otaku Cherry.**

**And click that button below, people~!**


	16. Chapter 16: Mission & Nightmares

**Saturday, November 3rd, 2012.**

******Yo. I'm updating today. I haven't in a while (I also have writer's block. I'm only 1 1/2 chaps ahead of this one!) and lot's of b-days have passed and are going to before I update again.**

**So. Here's the b-days that I mentioned: They're not only from Naruto:**

**Sarutobi Asuma: Oct. 18th.  
Suzume (one of the Academy Teachers): Oct. 19.  
My mom: Oct. 20.  
Mizuki: Oct. 21. Didn't like him much, but hey.  
Senju Hashirama (1st Hokage): Oct. 23rd.  
Mitarashi Anko: Oct. 24th.  
Kakimoto Chikusa (Katekyo Hitman Reborn): Oct. 26th.  
Orochimaru: Oct. 27.  
Byakuran (KHR): Oct. 28th. LOVE YOU 3!  
Tumeric (KHR, in CEDEF) and Gekko Hayate: Nov. 2. RIP, Hayate.  
Bianchi (KHR) and Sasori: Nov. 8th.  
My friend Kaili, (mentioned her before in my profile), Hoshina Utau (Shugo Chara!), Kusakabe Tetsuya (KHR): Nov. 9th.  
Jiraiya: Nov. 11.**

**I'll stop there, since I'm not sure when I'll update.**

**Oh, for KHR readers: The manga is ending December 12th! I personally thought it was going to end sooner, but hey, I'm not complaining! Oh, and did you know the manga started out as a gag manga then transformed into a combat one? And that Bianchi's actually 17? And Mukuro's 15, and since Hibari's 15-16, he's older than Mukuro? And Chrome's 13? Everyone's a lot older than they look, huh?  
Also, Bluebelll doesn't think of Byakuran romantically, despite popular belief. (I already knew) Her older brother died protecting her from a car, and the two were very close since their parents abandoned them. When Byakuran found her, he offered to be her big brother and protect her in her real brother's place, and she accepted. That's why she's so affectionate and clingy.**

**Also, Oda say's the Stawhat's (One Piece) next member will be a girl. I don't know who and I'm pretty sure we haven't seen her yet. And no, it's not Vivi or Tashigi. Tashigi, as lenient as she may be with them and the fact that Zoro is her rival won't make her join them. She has her place in the Marines. And Vivi's the princess of Alabasta. We already know she can't join them, even though she wanted to and they wanted her to.**

**Do you guys want me to write a Halloween One-shot? I don't have many ideas for it, except that Team 8 are going to dress up as part of the Kokuyo Gang from KHR, Chrome-Hinata, Ken-Kiba, and Chikusa-Shino. Hinata'd be a perfect Chrome. Oh, and Naruto'd be Black*Star from Soul Eater.**

_ATTENTION!LOOK!:_

**I'll be in Kenya for vacation for December 10th-December 31st of this year. Dec. 9th's my b-day, by the way. I'll be turning 14. With my twin sis of course. So, I won't updating in December except once in the beginning of it.**

**Disclaimer:  
**

**Byakuran: Why am I doing it? I'm not even _in _this anime.**

**Me: Because I love you and your b-day passed.**

**Byakuran: Do I get marshmallows?**

**Me: As many as you want.**

**Byakuran: Yay! Okay! Echo (EOC) doesn't own Naruto! If she did...she would have been Trick-or-Treating at least once in her life. That's right. She's never been. Oh, and she's have a costume every year. And-**

**Me: That's enough, Byaku-kun.**

**Byakuran: Kay! Marshmallows?**

**Me: They're in the Green Room. Bluebell might be saving them for you.**

**Byakuran: Sweet! Laters! *leaves; end of disclaimer***

**Oh, as I forgot to put in the last chap, there's a bit of SasuSaku in this. The beginning of it. I did my best. Hope you like!**

* * *

Chapter 16: Mission & Nightmares

**Sakura POV**

_Stupid Sasuke-kun! Playing me like that….how dare he! _

**_It's called "seduction", my dear Outer. And it's 'cuz he knows how to make us give in. I don't mind… *winkwink* *nudgenudge*_**

_Shut up, Inner! None your perverted fantasies now!_

**_Aww…but what's wrong with them?_**

_Well for starters, we're 16 and he's 13 with an generally innocent mind._

**_He doesn't know that. "Age is but a number." And we love him. How about that?_**

_It's not returned._

**_Well, maybe we can slowly get him to return it?_**

_That'll never work. Besides, you know I don't mind as long as he's happy and is safe. I'm satisfied being in his "close friend" and "person to protect" category. At least I know he cares._

**_Quit being so pessimistic. Don't you want him to love us? We won't have to seduce him or anything. _**

_Inner…_

**_Fine. But at least try to be a little more affectionate or give him a hint, please? Or I'll do it myself. And you don't want that. I'll be more than "a little bit more affectionate"._**

_…Alright. But if anything goes wrong, I blame you, Inner._

When my conversation with Inner ended, I went back to paying attention to hearing what the middle-aged Daimyo's son and his wife and 2 children had to say.

Our mission was to meet them a mile from Konoha to take them back to a small village on the edge of the Fire country to make a trade with a popular merchant there and them bring them back to Konoha. Lame, yes, but someone needed to do it.

"Are these our escorts?" The son of the Daimyo looked to be in his mid-late 30s. He had soft brown hair, hazel green eyes, and a small goatee. His wife had long, beautiful chestnut hair, gorgeous forest green eyes, and a desirable figure. She used to be a model. If you looked at her, you'd think for her to be in her early/mid-20s, but she's actually in her mid-30s. She seemed to take a less-than-innocent liking to Kakashi-sensei. Ew. Although her husband noticed it, he didn't seem to care.

Her son was 14, same age as Sai, a tad older than Sai, who was going to turn 14 in November. (Sasuke and I are 13, Naruto recently turned 13. It's mid-October, btw.) He had dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, and I assumed they came from his grandparents or something, since neither of his parents had that color. **_He's actually pretty hot…_**

His twin sister had mid-length dark brown hair, too. She had dark green eyes like her mother, and was also very beautiful. **_Geez! Not fair! Her chest is bigger than Hinata's!_** **_I mean, Hinata's younger, but still…_**

_It's very obviously her pride and joy…_

The girl was "discreetly" pushing her chest together while holding her hands together, and trying to get Sai's attention.

"Don't even bother with him. Sai-teme seems to be immune to hormones or something." _Naruto noticed. How is it that he notices that but not Hinata?! _

**_Maybe cuz she's gorgeous and actually seeking that sort of attention instead of Hinata?_**

The girl pouted, but turned to our sensei when he started to speak.

"Yes. This is my team. From your left to right, is Sai, nearing 14. He may be new to our team, but he's not new to ninja life. Next is Uzumaki Naruto, 13, who, despite his appearance, is quite the capable ninja." Naruto pouted after his age was mentioned –he always hated being the youngest. Sai being the oldest doesn't help- but brightened after his praise. "After him is Uchiha Sasuke, 13. Don't take his anti-social personality to heart. That's just the way he is. And finally, is Haruno Sakura, 13. Our brain and the only one keeping 2 certain ninja from killing each other." I beamed. _He finally praises me…_

The Daimyo's son nodded. "I see. I am Urinoke Riyonosuke. Just call me Riyo-san. This is my wife, Kira. Children, introduce your selves." **_Long name you got there…_**

Riyo-san's son came up to me and kissed my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sakura-san. I am Urinoke Kinoru."

I blushed. _As much as I hate it, he's really good looking for his age and I liked it! _"N-nice to meet you to, Kinoru-san."

He smiled politely. "Please, no need for the –san. Just call me Kino."

I smiled back. "Then you don't need to call me Sakura-san, either, Kino-kun."

"I look forward to these next couple of days, Sakura." He winked. I blushed again. _I really need to stop that._

His sister curtsied. "My name is Urinoke Kayame. Pleased to meet you all." Cue a pleasant smile and a wink in Sasuke's direction.

Cue uninterested grunt and pout.

**_You know, I have a feeling that this girl and I aren't going to get along very well…_**

_Me too…_

* * *

***an hour later, with the royal family in the carriage minus the young son. Everyone else is walking beside the carriage***

**Sasuke POV**

"So, Sakura, with exquisite beauty such as yours, do you have a boyfriend back in home? Or is it one of these three?" Kino asked the pinkette.

_How old school…_

"Oh, I'm not beautiful, Kino-kun. But I appreciate the compliment. However, I don't have a boyfriend. Not at all."

Sakura, Naruto, Sai, Kino, and I were all walking on one side of the carriage, in which were Kino's parents and sister. Kakashi was on the other side.

"Oh, but you are, Sakura." He picked a lock her hair and gently kissed it. "You have a subtle type of beauty, one that few remember to appreciate. You remind me quite a bit of a fairy or pixie, you know." Sakura blushed. "All those boys at home must be blind to not take an incredible girl like you for themselves. Then again, I have not seen you before now. Maybe I'll just take you for myself." The boy winked, and Sakura blushed again.

I scowled a bit. _Why is she letting him talk to her like that? Why is she flirting so much with him? He's obviously no good._

**_I agree with you 100% for once, Outer._**

"Personally, I believe that even though Ugly's actually kind of pretty, I greatly prefer Beautiful. Besides –you haven't seen Ugly mad. She's scary when mad." Sai commented.

"Ugly? Beautiful? Are those nicknames?" Kino asked, confused.

Naruto answered his question. "Ugly, Old Hag, and Hag refers to Sakura-chan. I have no idea how he came up with those names in the first place if he thinks she's pretty, but Sakura-chan doesn't seem to mind too much. Though she hits him for calling her that sometimes. Beautiful is Ino, Sakura-chan's best friend."

Kino nodded. "Oh. Does he have nicknames for the rest of you?"

I answered this time. "The Dobe –Naruto- is Dickless, and Scarecrow's Kakashi's."

Sakura continued. "Sasuke-kun's is Cockatoo. Sai-kun's nicknames tend to be insults, but he means well."

"So, Sasuke-kun," began Kayame, leaning her torso out of the carriage to talk to rest of us. Or more importantly, me. "Do _you _have a girlfriend? Or interested in anyone?"

"Hn. No."

"Sometimes, I think Sasuke-teme's gay. Seriously. He has a freaking fan club that throws themselves at his feet, and he couldn't care less! He doesn't seem to show much interest in women at all, either." Naruto shook his head, exasperated. "So much for calling the godfather position for his kids. If he HAS ANY! I mean, I doubt Kakashi will ever have kids –he doesn't even have a girl! And Hanare's**(1)** gone! Besides, if he won't let Gai-sensei be the godfather for his kids, why would he let me?"

He shook his head again. Then, a light bulb lit up on his hair. No –seriously! There was an honest to goodness light bulb! I think the others noticed it but they either ignored it or took it as something normal. Or I'm hallucinating. Which I doubt. _Wow._

"Ooh! Sai! Oh, wait –he doesn't understand romance. So how's he supposed to get a wife and kids? Damn. Three people I could have been the Best Man for in their wedding and Godfather for their kids. I sure hope Konohamaru finds a woman…what about you, Sakura?"

The pinkette (that's not a word is it? Oh, well. It is now) seemed shocked as the idiot's extreme randomness and didn't answer at first. _Why do I bother being surprised? This is Naruto we're talking about._

"Uh…well. Um, let me put it this way. I'd rather focus on my ninja life for now rather than romance or something. But if I _do _have children and get married, albeit not in that order, you can be the Best Man and Godfather. As long as you don't poison my children with too much ramen, orange, or infect them with your horrid brain density, that is." I had to smirk at that response. **_Good one, Sakura-chwan!_**

_Who are you, Sanji__**(2)**__? _

**_Nah…cooking isn't my thing and we fight more with our hands than we do our legs. Though One Piece is the best anime on the planet. Just sayin'._**

"But Sasuke-kun," Kayame tried again, noticing that everyone was forgetting about her. "Surely you'll need a woman to continue the Uchiha lineage."

"Hn." I grunted, again. "Of course. But like Sakura, I'll focus on my ninja career for now. I'll worry about women after I kill _him_."

Kayame understood what he meant by "him", knowing who killed the clan. "But just so you know, I'll be waiting right here for you, okay?" The girl had gotten out of the carriage and was now walking right next to me, winking and taking a sort of "seductive" pose.

"I'm not interested in girls like you." I didn't even spare the girl a glance. **_I don't want a girl like her! I like the more innocent types! Not like Hinata, though. Not that she's bad –she's great! But please, no!_**

_I actually agree with you, Inner._

Kayame pouted. Then changed the subject. "Have you kissed a girl, Sasuke-kun? How many times? How was it?"

Against my will, I stopped in my tracks, as did Naruto. But then we continued walking again, to not fall behind. However, Naruto started laughing. _What's HE laughing about?_

Sakura was giggling, and Sai was smirking.

"What's so funny?" Kino asked Sakura.

"I don't know if I should say." Sakura said between her giggles, trying to keep from laughing.

"Then I will!" Naruto had managed to stop laughing. At least, enough to talk.

"That Teme has **not **kissed a girl! He's kissed a guy –twice**(3)**!" _Shut up, idiot!_

Kayame gasped. "I thought you said he wasn't gay? Damn."

"He isn't. They weren't on purpose. I believe what Dickless forgot to point out that both times that Cockatoo had kissed a guy, it was him. And that Dickless hadn't kissed a girl, either." Sai was smirking throughout his whole monologue.

Naruto's face reddened, then turned green, then back to his regular skin color again. "How'd you know that!"

"Ino told me about the time at the academy. She was going to tell me about the other one, but Kakashi-sempai beat her to it."

"Kakashi-sensei swore to stay silent! Sakura did too!" He turned to the pinkette. "You did, didn't you?"

"Aha…ha…ha…" the pinkette scratched her face with a finger. "Actually, Kakashi-sensei and I crossed our fingers. The only person I told was Ino-pig, and she blackmailed me into telling her."

Kino was barely holding back chuckles. "So…*laugh*….how'd they happen?…*laugh*…" **_I officially hate him._**

_I thought our hate was reserved for Itachi?_

**_Yeah, we can add another in that cold heart of yours._**

_Hn. I'm cool with it. I don't think he's good enough for the "dislike" section, either._

"I was sitting at my desk on our team selection day at the academy, since we were graduating. The Dobe was sitting on my desk and we were having a glaring match when someone hit his back and he fell on me. You can guess what happened." That was all I was willing to say. _Aren't I quite the chatterbox lately?_

"Long story short, the second was gravity's fault. I'm saying no more about it. But at least I've ALMOST kissed a girl, unlike Teme!" Naruto pointed a finger at me.

"The second was an accident that wouldn't have happened had you two listened to me and Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura interjected. **_Well it's true…_**

_Shut it._

"And besides, that almost-kiss was when you transformed into Sasuke-kun and tried to kiss me when I was his fangirl. Luckily for me, your constipation came in at the right time. That's what you get. And what happens when you drink sour milk."

_Wait a minute…transformed as me? When she was my fangirl?_

Suddenly, it clicked. "_That's_ what you did when you tied me up?!** (4)**" I was _so_ pissed. _He's going to get it!_

I grabbed the idiot by his collar. "What else did you do looking like me?" I growled.

"Nothing, nothing, I swear! That was it! Seriously! Don't kill me!" Before I can raise my other hand to punch him in the face, I felt a soft hand on the hand.

I turned to see Sakura holding it. "Sasuke-kun, put him down. We can work on payback together later, since he almost stole my first kiss henged as you. But for now, save the violence and bruises for the Finals, kay?" She said it loud enough so only I heard. There was a glimmer in her eyes that made me back down.

I dropped him on his ass. "Watch your back." Then I walked farther ahead of the group.

Behind me, I heard Kino compliment Sakura. "That was great, the way you handled them, Sakura! You must do that a lot, huh?"

"Yeah. Those two are always at each other's necks, so I'm usually the one to break them up. Sai has a habit of pissing people off, so I have to stop whoever's trying to kill him –if it wasn't me of course." A giggle.

"You're cute when you giggle, Sakura." _Cue blush…_

Kino again. "You're even cuter when you blush." I practically **heard **his wink. **_Can we use our new technique on him? The Chidori?_**

_No. It's not completed yet and we can't kill him. How good would it look if the aspiring, final Uchiha killed a Daimyo's grandson? Not so great._

**_Hmph. Fine…_**

"Hey! Quit flirting with Sakura-chan, you bastard!" I smirked. **_Looks like we weren't the only ones upset._**

"Don't call him a bastard, Naruto-kun!" I heard Sakura hit the moron over the head.

"I don't appreciate the incessant flirting either, Hag." Now I was surprised. I rose my eyebrows. _Him, too?_

"You too, Sai-kun?"

"Yes. Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sempai, too, I'm sure."

By then, I had drifted closer to the group. Sakura tapped my shoulder. "Sasuke-kun?"

I nodded. I whispered in her ear. **_She smells so good…like her namesake… _**"Personally, I'd rather like to burn his ass off."

When I pulled back, I saw her face didn't redden from the proximity. _Is she getting immune to me? What am I saying? I was just whispering in her ear._

"I agree with Sasuke's statement, too, Sakura." We heard our sensei say from the other side of the carriage.

"How'd you hear that?!" Sakura inquired. _He's on the other freaking side! And Kino, who's stuck to Sakura like glue didn't even hear me!_

"When you've had dog summons for years, you pick up some things." _Oh. I wonder if his hearing is as good as Kiba's, who's as good as his own damn dog, Akamaru._

"Although I'm not nearly as good as Kiba. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew better, that I've known Tsume for a long time, had heard her howls of pain when she gave birth to Kiba –yes, she was in the hospital, and I was not- and had known his father, I'd think that Kiba was part dog."

"Quit doing that! And TMI, man!" Naruto hollered to Kakashi.

His only response was a chuckle.

"You guys are _so_ protective. You know that, right?" Sakura stated, crossing her arms.

"I believe Dickless proved that this morning." A blush that went unnoticed –except for me of course- finally appeared then quickly disappeared on Sakura's face, remembering what else happened that morning. **_This is off-handed, but is her face going to stay like that if she keeps blushing all the time?_**

_Doubt it. If that could happen, Hinata's face would be red permanently, instead of pale._

**_Oh. Right. Totally forgot._**

"We only want to protect you, Sakura-chan. And besides, why are you letting him flirt with you like that?" _I've been wondering about that for a while._

I took a glance at Kino to find that he was just fine with being talked about like he wasn't there, waiting for the right moment to speak and Sakura's answer.

"W-well…" Sakura started.

"Well, what? You sound like a certain Hyuga around a certain noodle-for-brains." Sakura and I both turned our heads to Sai. **_So he knows about Hinata's crush on Naruto, too? Geez! The dude she likes is basically the only person that knows her that doesn't know!_**

Sakura fake coughed. "Anyway. I let him because I'm okay with it."

"Eh?! Why?" The Usuratonkachi and I were watching Sakura like a hawk, equally confused and curious.

"B-because…" **_Cue adorable blush…_** "…I kinda like it. It makes me feel confident and pretty…God, this is embarrassing!"

"But you **are **pretty, Sakura-chan! I mean, Sai even said so! And he's -…he's-…well he's Sai."

"Hearing it from you guys doesn't exactly count. You guys said it yourselves –you don't want me hurt. And I don't think any of you besides Sai is stupid enough to call me something and mean it to my face."

Naruto and I sighed –although I did it quietly enough so no one knew- seeing her point, but exasperated. "Besides, the only person who's ever flirted with me is Naruto, but he failed and he had a crush on me at the time, and Kukuo**(5)** –remember, from the Academy?- and he hoped to get Sasuke jealous. I have no idea why he thought that'd work. A girl wants to feel pretty and confident once in a while, you know? A genuine compliment or even flirting once in a while isn't bad at all." _Women…Shikamaru was right. Men will never understand them._

"This book here says that women tend to be very insecure, despite how they may act around their friends or family. Being complimented or flirted to raises their self-esteem and makes them feel better about themselves. Beautiful said that, too. The first part at least."

**_More books? Seriously, Sai? _**

"The book also says that women often strive for love and such fantasies, although they don't make it all they care about. It says the girls greatly treasure their first kiss so it will be with someone they love, or at least like. Same for their first time in intercourse-" Sakura had stomped over to him and ripped the book out of his hand before he can read more. I saw her eyes skim pages as she flipped through the pages.

"Girls are self-conscious….girls are vain…girls are very envious and possessive and will often flirt or even date other boys in hopes of making a certain one –which she made a point not to date- jealous. They are very-" She threw the book on the ground. "That is not true! In a lot of cases, yes, but not always! That book is so general! I'd like to give that author a piece of my mind! 'Women 101: The Female Encyclopedia' my ass!"

She picked the book up again, looking for the author. "I knew it! It's a guy! How many girls are named Arthur Stone!?"**(6)** She put the book into the backpack she was carrying. "I'll burn this later."

She turned to Sai. "If you want to know about girls, then just ask one! I mean, all girls are different just like guys so answers might differ, but it's better than reading a book. What have I told you about experience?" She almost sounded like a teacher.

Sai sighed. **_Haha…it rhymed! _**"'Experience provides better lessons than a book ever can.' I know that, but you know it's still so hard…humans are so complicated…" He looked down. **_Geez…with such an sad face, I almost want to hug him._**

That, Sakura did. But I doubt it's because she fell for his upset expression. _Maybe those two are closer than Naruto and I thought… _For some reason, I felt my stomach twist.

"I know it's tough, Sai. That's why Ino and I are here to help you. I'm sure Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, and Kaka-sensei would, too. What are friends for?" I noticed the corner of his lips quirk up. Not into a smile –more like a half one. It was almost weird to see. _I thought he only knew how to do fake ones, since that's all we saw._

Then, he whispered something in Sakura's ear. She whispered something back, then nodded and smiled brightly at him. His eyes lit up. "Thank you, Sakura." It was the first time I've heard him say her name to her directly. **_The way he said it…proves my theory of him only saying her name when it's serious, to an extent, unless he was explaining who he was referring to when he calls her by her nickname. Maybe her nickname is endearing to them…._**

My stomach clenched again.

Sakura squeezed Sai once more, then went back to talking with Kino.

"I see you are very close to your teammates, and they rely on you a lot. How admirable." Again with the flirting. **_Thank god we're as young as we are…who knows what he'd be saying if we were like 17 or something…now that'd be shameless…he'd be talking about her body and bed for sure…and thank goodness for his royal-ish heritage. At least he has shame _**_now**.**_

_Don't give me that sort of image, Inner._

"So anyway, Sasuke-kun, I was like, thinking, since we're both from high-class families, that we'd be perfect together." Kayame said. I sighed. _I almost forgot about her. I was wondering when she'd come right out and say it._

"This is going to be one long 2 days." Naruto sighed.

_Looks like there's another thing to add to the list of things we seem to agree on today…_

* * *

***that evening at the campfire. Way after sundown.***

**Sakura POV**

"So here's the sleeping arrangements." Kakashi started. Everyone was around the campfire, minus Riyo-san and is wife. _It's so creepy to see her leering at Kakashi. And her more-than-innocent stances and touches…_

**_And her daughter's following right in her footsteps…EWW!_**

"Naruto and I will sleep with Riyo-san and Kira-san. Sai will sleep with the twins. Sasuke and Sakura on their own. You two will be called if needed, but a little bit closer to the woods than us, so you two will be the first to alert us if anyone happens. I'll be on watch for part of the night. Understand?"

_I'm with Sasuke-kun? Huh. He might have put us together if he heard that I stopped his curse mark. Maybe he hopes I could do it again if he can't at the moment…_

**_I don't mind at all! As long as Sasuke-kun's with us, I'm set for life…X3_**

"Aww, can't Sasuke-kun sleep with me? Sarublah can sleep with Kino." Kayame whined, trying to push her chest up to "seduce" Sasuke. It was failing miserably. He just wasn't attracted to her at all. That made me glad. **_Take that, bitch!_**

"It's _Sakura_." I said.

"Whatever." Kayame just snorted and looked back at Sasuke, fluttering her eyes. _Personally, I think the effect is ruined if you snorted before the eye fluttering. Just sayin._

"I don't care *Yawn* as long as I get sleep." Naruto said. "Now if you excuse me, I have a date with a sleeping bag." And with that, he entered the tent where he was stationed and retired for the night.

"Good night, Sakura. I'll see you in the morning." I turned to Kino, and gave him a smile, waving.

"Good night, Kino-kun." However, he didn't leave. Instead, he took my hand and kissed it, one eye closed and gazing at me with the other. "Sweet dreams, blossom." He said huskily, and then went to his own tent. I don't doubt he caught my obvious blush. **_Geez. I swear if we keep this up, we're going to either A) turn into Hinata or B) die from all the blood rushing to our face. That can't be healthy._**

_I choose C) stop blushing. This is getting ridiculous._

Soon enough, Kayame gave up trying to get Sasuke to sleep with her –_that sounds so wrong!_- and retired to her tent with her brother, Sai following her. However, I was able to catch a glimpse of her winking at Sai suggestively as they entered the tent. _She doesn't give up, does she?_

**_Nope. Honestly, she has a better chance of marrying Sasuke-kun than her tricks working on Sai._**

_Definitely._

* * *

***about 2 hours since Sakura and the others went to sleep***

**_Hey…Outer…Outer…WAKE UP DAMN YOU!_**_(7)_

_Ugh…I was sleeping blissfully here. What?_

**_I hear something. I think it's coming from Sasuke-kun._**

_Really?_

I woke myself up further and sat up in my sleeping bag to turn to Sasuke, who was in his own sleeping bag immediately to my right. All I can see was his silhouette since it was so dark.

Gradually, my vision improved enough for me to make out his body and sleeping bag. I noticed he was shaking and tossing a lot. His face was scrunched up. He was trapped in a nightmare.

But that's not all. His curse mark was starting to glow, dark chakra beginning to swirl around it. It wasn't enough to alert Kakashi from where he was, but enough for me to almost panic to wake him.

"Sasuke-kun…" I shook him, gently at first. "Sasuke-kun…wake up, Sasuke-kun!" Now I was shaking him harder, and it wasn't working. Then, I got an idea.

I pinched the skin directly under his chin, at his jaw. _He was always sensitive skin-wise there…at his jaw…I have no idea why I know that._

He woke up immediately, his Sharingan blazing in the darkness and his had immediately reaching for my own jugular.

"W-wait…Sasuke-k-kun…" I choked out. "It's m-me…S-sakura…" I struggled to breathe, but I did my best to gently pry his fingers off my windpipe.

Slowly, recognition awoke in his eyes, and he let go of my throat, and I took in harsh breaths on instinct.

_Damn! That is one strong grip he has!_

I turned back to Sasuke after my breath came back and found him looking at the ground intently. Then he looked back up at me and I noticed how close we were.

His eyes…there were unshed tears in them, and one running down his cheek. He must not have noticed because he was too busy holding his hand to his shoulder in pain.

I took my thumb and wiped the tear. He stiffened, but before he can back away I pulled him to me and started using a bit of medical ninjutsu to stop his pain.

After a moment, I stopped the flow of the green chakra when the purple one surround the mark disappeared.

I lied down and pulled him with me; he was now inches from me, each of us on our sides, looking at each other.

_That must have been a nightmare of the Massacre…nothing else could bring him to tears like this…or at all._

"…I'm sorry." I snapped out of my thoughts. I was surprised that he apologized, but I didn't let it show on my face.

"It's alright. It's not your fault." I gave him a reassuring smile, though I doubt it reassured him.

"…What's wrong? Why are you up? Hear something?"

I shook my head. "Not that I know of." I unzipped the tent a bit and stuck my head out on both sides, not sensing, smelling, or hearing anything but everyone in the tents.

That is, sans Kakashi-sensei.

He had a brow raised as if asking something. Then, I realized he must be alerted every time the curse acted up, with his seal and all. He was asking if Sasuke was alright.

I nodded and mouthed, _"He's calmed down."_

I stuck my head back in and zipped up the tent. "Nope. Nothing." I took my place back on top of my sleeping bag, inches from Sasuke, facing him again.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, too. "Who were you nodding at?"

I sighed softly. _Of course he noticed. He's Sasuke-kun._

"Just Kakashi-sensei. He must have sensed your mark acting up and maybe even my chakra. I nodded to let him know the mark's gone."

He nodded. **_You know, it's weird to see someone nod when they're on their side…and you're on yours…_**

_How completely random was that?_

**_That's just how I roll!_**

I sighed at my Inner's antics and looked back at Sasuke-kun. I scooted closer to him.

"I woke up because you had a nightmare, and tried to wake you from it. You can take it from there." I couldn't say it any other way but like a whisper. Maybe it's because I'm surrounded by silence and it's dark. Things like that have an effect on you.

He nodded, understanding it now. He sat up and was about to turn over to get into his sleeping bag and sleep -which I knew he was going to be unable to do- when I sat up too and put my hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"You can tell me if you want to, you know." He looked confused. "What the nightmare was about."

He just looked at me, his face and eyes unreadable. "There were tears in your eyes, Sasuke-kun." I said this even softer than how I had before. "I think I have an idea of what it was about, but you can trust me not to repeat anything you say to anyone."

I placed myself closer to him, my gaze meeting his in the dark. He didn't move back so I took that as an "okay" for our close proximity. "You haven't told anyone before, right?" I subconsciously moved a lock of hair from in front of his eyes, unable to stop myself. "You shouldn't keep everything bottled up, Sasuke-kun. If it's any incentive, it _is _bad for your health."

I pulled him to rest the side of his head onto my shoulder, so he was facing my neck. His torso was leaning against my chest and our legs we against the other's.

"There. Now you won't have to look at me." **_Really, Outer? Are you serious! You're just lucky it's dark and he can't see our face, cuz we look like a damn tomato! Wait! He loves tomatoes…nevermind…_**

_Ugh…Inner._

I felt Sasuke's strong gaze on my neck, knowing he was contemplating whether to tell me or not._ He must be really shaken up to not push me away or something…_

Before I knew it, I felt a tug at my waist and then my back on the ground. _Sasuke-kun must have pulled us onto the sleeping bags…_

"Ever since I was little, I looked up to my brother." I was startled. **_See? He's speaking…I knew he'd open up to us!_**

"He was 5 years older than me, and my beloved Itachi-nii-san. He graduated the academy early and was an ANBU captain by the time he was 13. He had two teammates; our cousin and his best friend, Shisui, and a girl. Shisui and Itachi graduated at the same time, and Shisui was a jounin when Itachi became ANBU. The girl graduated a year behind them, and became a jounin at 14. Even though she was ranks behind them, the three were obviously very close. Their sensei was Shisui's father, Garuto.

"Regardless, every time brother came home from training -or the academy if he was still in it- I would run up to him and hug him. I would ask him how his day was, and demand that he train me. Often, he poked my forehead with his pointer and middle finger of his hand and say, 'next time, brother.' I always pouted.

"If he didn't and decided to train me, I'd run and get my things, and wait for him at the door to go to our training area. He'd teach me how to properly through kunai and shuriken, some minor jutsu, a bit of taijutsu, and help me improve my fire jutsu.

"Shisui came and helped, too. Itachi's female teammate helped some, too, but she was free less since she had her own younger brother."

Sasuke shifted against me, trying to get comfortable before he continued. In the end, his head was still on my right shoulder and he was facing my neck, but this time, his right leg entangled with mine, and his right arm –hesitantly- was across my waist. I turned red, but didn't move, knowing even though he was physically comfortable, he was still uncomfortable being in such a position so close to me. That doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?

"I had a favorite green dinosaur**(8)** stuffed animal that my mother had given to me when I was 2 according to Itachi, since I was too young to remember. He often joined me in my training. Of course, the stuffed animal watched, or I played with it at home, but whenever it got cut or something, it was either Mother or Itachi's girl teammate that patched it up for me."

I ignored my urge to ask who this other teammate was and why he's not saying her name, and instead listened to Sasuke tell me one of the times he made Itachi swear on his dinosaur that he'd train with him the next day.**(9)**

_He was such a cute, innocent, little child. The Massacre truly changed him…_

"Out of both my parents, I'd be quick to say that I loved Mother much more than Father. I mean, I loved him and all, but we had a sort of…strained relationship."

I felt that hand that was across my waist scrunch itself into a fist into my clothing.

I rested my cheek against his forehead. He didn't move.

"My father always was comparing me to Itachi, saying that I should be like him, and asking rhetorical questions as to why I wasn't. Because of this, I grew a not-so-hidden jealousy to my brother; he always had everyone's approval, especially Father's. It was not-so-hidden because Shisui, Uncle Garuto, Mother, Itachi, Father and even Itachi's female teammate knew about it. Was I that easy to read?

"Mother always comforted me, though. She said even though father acts like this, it doesn't mean that he didn't love me. It made me feel a bit better. The few times I saw proof of this was when I showed him my complete Katon: Fireball Jutsu**(9)** when I was seven. He said, with a proud glint in his eyes, 'Good job, Sasuke. You made me proud.' I was so happy that I was practically jumping off the walls for the rest of the day. I stopped when Shisui threatened to cut my hair at dinner."

I couldn't stop myself and giggled. Then I froze. _Oh, no. Is he mad?_

He wasn't. I felt Sasuke smirk against me.

"Mother also told me that if she had a favorite son -even though she shouldn't- it'd be me. She always made me feel better. When I was a toddler, she'd always smother me with love and…cuddle with me. She said that was one of the reasons I was her favorite rather than Itachi. 'Itachi isn't and wasn't very cuddly', she said. She was kind, beautiful, and wasn't afraid to discipline my brother, Shisui and I if we ever got out of line. Shisui's mother died when he was 4 and Garuto…he wasn't the best fatherly figure, even though he ended up becoming Shisui's sensei. As a result, Shisui often spent time in our house of the Uchiha complex and Mother treated him as her own son. Whenever she saw her, she also treated Itachi's female teammate as the daughter she always wanted but never had. Itachi's teammate's mother was okay with it, since the two mothers were friends."

Unconsciously, I shifted my body to be partially on its side and to stroke Sasuke's hair. His arm was still around my waist. Since he didn't push me away when I realized what I was doing, I continued, taking it as an okay. **_No fair…his hair is almost softer than ours…_**

"When she held me, she liked to stroke my hair. Like you are." He sighed.

"Nearing the…Massacre, I noticed Itachi was more stressed and distant than normal. I tried to make him feel better, and even let him sleep with my dinosaur. But it didn't help much. I asked Shisui what was going on, but he didn't know either. All he could think of was that, and I quote, 'Maybe that stick up his ass is stuck in even farther than usual.' But knowing how close he was to Itachi, he might have known. His other teammate heard us, and yelled at him, telling him to watch his language around me. I was eight, after all. I asked her if she knew, and she said, 'Despite that I've knowing him almost as long as you've been alive, half of the time, I don't know what's going through that head of his. Like now.' Unlike Shisui, I'm positive she didn't know.

"I was worried. Then, when I came home from the academy on my own one day, I had a bad feeling upon entering the Uchiha complex. I immediately ran to our home, and found the walls coated in blood. When I entered the living room, I found my mother and father in a pile and covered in their own blood. I looked up to find my brother sheathing his sword in his ANBU uniform."

"He spoke to me, saying I should curse him; hate him; live a long; unsightful life; run, and cling to my pathetic life!"

A tear fell down my cheek, but I didn't notice since too busy feeling Sasuke's tears on my shoulder. His arm tightened on my waist and he pulled my tighter against him, and I wrapped my own around him, my other hand still stroking his hair, trying not to sob at his anguish.

Shaking against me, he told me everything else he recalled of that night and about a bloody Uncle Garuto carrying Shisui, who's right eye was bleeding –but not gone- and his barely breathing mother.

"Those three were the only ones that survived, that we knew of at first. Shisui says that Itachi lashed out and tried to take his eye, but he was able to avoid it somehow. That's all he could remember.

"My father's body was found in one of the mansion's rooms, unconscious. He must have been hit in the head in addition to an almost fatal stab wound in the stomach. He fell into a coma and didn't wake up until 2 ½ years after the Massacre. He's fine now, though.

"The funeral for my family was held when they were all recovered enough to attend. It was a private funeral, consisting of Lord Hokage, the survivors, and Itachi's final teammate and her brother, though she almost didn't attend. Her eyes were completely blank, and she was like a puppet. Her bother was nearly in tears, though I think he was more worried about his sister than anything.

"Days later, she soon fell a bit mad, talking to herself, –even though everyone does it**(10)**, she did it like a madman- hallucinating, laughing at odd times, twitching, scaring us. Her younger brother was terrified and tried to calm her down, but his mother forced him to move in with his best friend, and not see his sister until she was better.

"He wasn't the only one scared. To me, she always seemed like a rock. A pretty, kind, soft rock. She was like my older sister. She even taught me, Itachi, and Shisui –though he didn't do it often- to play the flute, though Itachi took up the metal flute, clarinet, and piano while Shisui was more of a guitar man. I was given a bamboo flute -that I still own- when I was 7. **(11) **Though, since the Massacre, part of me blamed her for what happened. I still love her like a sister, but she knows about my discontent toward her, and we've been distant. But she always sends me a birthday present and Christmas present every year -though anonymously- and helps me whenever I ask, which is rare. I do the same, though her brother grew hostile toward me, knowing I hurt her with my hatred. We weren't very close, though friends, thus, I wasn't very affected by it.

"In the end, after some therapy and Shisui having to use his Sharingan on her occasionally, she calmed down and regained her sanity. She was soon back to the girl we knew, although, for a long time, her eyes were still empty and distant. Her brother inadvertently grew much closer to his sister.

"I asked Shisui why she had become the way she did for those few months. He said that even though they were young, she had fallen in love with my brother, though she knew he would never return it. She blamed herself for part of his betrayal, thinking she hadn't done enough for him to stop him before something happened. He said out of anyone, the event probably hurt her the most, if not me, Mother, or himself.

"Today, I'm still not sure what that sort of 'love' means, or why she was so hurt, but I could tell from her eyes, that she still feels for my brother."

We lied in silence for a while, still holding each other, and my stroking his hair.

"Thank you for opening up to me Sasuke-kun." I whispered, getting up. He remained lying down, as I stretched.

He got in his sleeping bag.

I was about to do the same, but he pulled me into his sleeping bag with him, my head on his chest.

**_Maybe he wasn't ready to let go yet. He probably still needs some comfort…_**

"Th…thank you for listening, Sakura." He whispered. His voice was putting me to sleep.

I nodded, snuggling into him for warmth. "I'll always be here for you, whenever you need me…"

I reached up, and kissed the corner of his mouth on impulse. His eyes widened, but I was too tired to think further on my actions.

I rested my head comfortably against his chest again and let myself get pulled into the darkness of sleep.

* * *

**(1): Remember her from the filler Konoha History Arc in Shippuden? I think I'm going to pair her up with Kakashi instead of Shizune or Anko this time. I might add her in later...  
****(2): Yup. Sanji from One Piece. He calls (in the sub) Nami "Nami-swan" and and Robin "Robin-chwan" sometimes. Or just "Nami-san" and Robin-chan". Which I find weird since he's known Nami longer and Robin is also older. Whatever. Still love him, though.  
(3): Again, an episode from the Konoha History Arc. Ep 194, for those who want to see it. (It never would have happened if those two had listened to Sakura and Kakashi about waiting the 2-3 days...) It was hilarious. And since Sakura's hair was long, it was before the Chuunin Exams.**  
**(4): That was an ep in early Part 1. Remember it?**  
**(5): Some may recognize him from my other Naruto story that I let go. He won't play a part in the story really, though. For those who don't know, that story I started writing was a High School AU where Kukuo was Sakura's boyfriend and she started to fall in love with him. She dated him because she thought it was time to move on, since she knows Sasuke will never love her and she doesn't want to be loveless forever. However, Kukuo was playing her an cheating on her with Sakura's childhood tormentor and mortal enemy, Watanabe Ami.**  
**(6): I made up that name. Personally, I think it sounds pretty bad-ass. Stone. Arthur Stone. I was tempted to name the author Alfred F. Jones, aka America, in Hetalia, but I didn't. Or Kiku Honda. (Japan) He looks and sort of acts enough like Sai.**  
**(7): I got that from Patti's "GET UP DAMN YOU!" to Kid in Soul Eater. Man, I love him...**  
**(8): **** Remember it from flashbacks? He was so cute when he was little...**  
**(9): It's in the first chapter of my 3-shot. Please read it, people. And REVIEW it.**  
**(10): When I right jutsu names, I mix the Japanese and English name together sometimes, for cooler effect. **  
**(11): There's is some miscellaneous art Kishimoto drew of Sasuke playing a bamboo flute. And Sasuke's character song is flute music. So I made him a flute player.**

**I know Kino's flirting sucks. I did the best I could. Sorry. And don't forget, it can't be very dirty or street flirting because Kino's a noble. And a gentleman.**

**Don't forget to review! I'm a review whore! (Forgive language)**

**And R&R A Couple Moments! The link is on the last chap, if you don't want to go to my story list! I think it was my best work so far!**

**Um...I think that's all.**

**Laters! With LOVE!**


	17. Chapter 17: More Nightmares

**Saturday, November 17th, 2012.**

**Like I said, I'm updating today! Yay!**

**And thanks for so many reviews, guys! And thanks for the 2 for ACM! **

_ATTENTION!_

**However, this is likely the last chapter I'll post until I have to go on vacation. I'm leaving December 10th (my b-day's the day before) and I won't be coming back til the 31st or Jan 1st. I'll be in Kenya for the 3rd time, btw, visiting family.**

**Also, I like to think of this as an early-b-day chapter, since the day after my b-day will be the day I leave for the LAX airport. I'll be 14 December 9th! Yay! So will my twin sister! So yay for her too!**

_B-days I've missed and probably will miss:_

**Nov. 14: Leviathan (Levi) (KHR)  
Nov. 15: Rin (Naruto)  
Nov. 18: Shizune (Naruto)  
Nov. 25: Sai, Izumo Kamizuki, I-Pin (Naruto, KHR)  
Nov. 27: Rock Lee (Naruto)  
Dec. 1: Zori (Naruto)  
Dec. 3: Shoichi Irie (KHR)  
Dec. 4: Dan (Naruto)  
Dec. 5: (Nagi) Chrome Dokuro (KHR)  
Dec. 9: Me, my twin sis, my 4th grade teacher, and friend from Kansas.  
Dec. 15: Lancia (KHR)  
Dec. 22: Belphagor (Bel), Rasiel (Siel), & Jordan Sparks (KHR, real person)  
Dec. 24: Madara (weird right?) & Madam Shijimi (Naruto)  
Dec. 25: Inari (Naruto)  
Dec. 27: Hinata Hyuuga (Naruto)  
Dec. 28: Cozarto Simon (KHR)  
Dec. 30: Konohamaru Sarutobi (Naruto)  
Jan. 1: Might Gai (Naruto)  
Jan 2: Iwashi Tatami (Naruto)  
Jan 4: Haku (Naruto)  
Jan 8: Hiashi & Hizashi Hyuuga (Naruto)**

**I'm going to start responding to most reviews now, but generally only if they include questions.**

**RESPONSES:**

NTA FANFIC**: Thanks for reviewing but I have no idea what "Gl" means.**

jus4theheckofit98**: Thanks, and Itachi, during all this, has broken away from the Akatsuki, making them angry and hid from them while looking for Suigetsu and Juugo in one of Orochimaru's hideouts. Sorry I didn't make this clearer before. That's why Sakura said "...is just what she needed until Juugo and Suigetsu come back". The two will become Karin's teammates later. Hopefully. Sorry about that mix-up.**

Degevorn**: Really? I only know of one other person with them. Yeah, I noticed they're a lot less frequent. Mine happen once every few months now.**

**Don't forget, my update schedule still is affected by ACM's reviews. If I come back to find no more from my vacation, I might not update. Seriously.**

**DEDICATION: **Jasmine-.-Momo-chan** and **XxLizzie-chanxX**. Thanks for your companionship and reviews. :D Love you guys. :D Also,** loosecontroi**/**loosecontrooPL** and** TrafalgarMann21** from Youtube. Some of the best freaking AMV/AMSV makers on Youtube. See their AMSVs -they're phenomenal. BTW, **TrafalgarMann21**, I love your penname. :D Trafalgar Law (One Piece) FTW!**

**Oh, and I might do dedications now.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be fretting about my Character Education project and my Drama project. Nor would I have to agonize that One Piece is on break this week. I want to know what happens to Mocha DAMNIT! Even though I KNOW, I don't want to believe it til I see it.**

**Oh, and Ita? is revealed in this chap! As well as more SasuSaku romance, SaiSaku friendship, and hints of SaIno!**

**READ ON MY LOVELIES!**

* * *

Chapter 17: More Nightmares

**Sasuke POV**

I woke up. _Why?_

I was about to sit up and search for what might have, but I couldn't. Some heavy weight was on me. Well, not _heavy_, but it was still questionable.

I looked down to find the source – Sakura's head against my chest.

_What the-…oh, right. I told her everything last night._

Then, I noticed something strange. _Her chakra…why's it fluctuating so much? It's going up and down like a roller coaster!_

I took a look at her face, only to realize that she was panting and shaking, and tears were coming out of her eyes. **_Oh, no! She's trapped in a nightmare! Wake her up, idiot!_**

_I know that!_

But before I could make a move, the tent was quickly unzipped from the outside and three familiar people entered.

Kakashi, Sai, and Naruto.

"What's going on? Why's Sakura's chakra so out of whack?" Kakashi asked.

I tried shaking her to wake her up. "She's in a nightmare, but she isn't waking up!"

Naruto moved to my side and tried waking her up too, and suddenly, she stopped shaking and her eyes snapped open, stopping Sai as he pulled out a scroll and…a paintbrush? **_What the _**_hell__** would **_**that****_ do?! Paint her nightmares away to death?!_**

Before I knew what was happening, I found myself on my back with a kunai on my neck, threatening to cut me.

I looked up to find Sakura with tears pouring down her face, and that it was her kunai against my throat. **_Where'd that kunai come from?_**

_Not the time, Inner!_

Naruto, Kakashi, and I were all too shocked to move. As for Sai…he looked pretty stunned, too. That's the most emotion I've ever seen on his face.

I felt her try to push the kunai down further, but her hand shook violently, not piercing me at all.

I looked into her eyes, and then became shocked. _It's like she doesn't even see me...wait! __She's…She's still asleep!_

She pulled her hand back, saying, "I'm weak! I still can't do it…I still can't kill him…"

She closed her eyes, and turned, and fell into Naruto's arms, though I'm almost sure she didn't know it.

She cried into him. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry I'm still so useless…please forgive me…I didn't mean to hurt you…I just wanted to take him out of his misery…I can't bare seeing either of you in so much pain…please forgive me!"

And she continued to sob.

**_What is she dreaming of? Oh, Sakura-chan, please stop crying…stop please…please…it hurts seeing you like this...*whimpers*_**

My shock disappearing, I sat up. Naruto was frozen, and Kakashi pulled the crying, sleeping-talking girl toward him and pulled up his headband, forcing her to look into his eyes. His Sharingan swirled. Sai merely watched, maybe feeling that it wasn't his place to do anything right now. But he had a calculating and confused look in his eye…_Trying to figure out what she's dreaming of?_

**_Somehow, I doubt that dude will have better luck than the rest of us. I mean, we've known her longer, right? I think._**

_Note to self: watch Sai._

Then Kakashi made her sit down on her own.

Soon, she blinked. Again. And again. Then she was rubbing her eyes furiously. When she stopped, she looked around in the crowded tent to see our bewildered and frightened faces.

"W-what's going on?" She felt her cheeks. "Why was I crying? Why are Naruto, Sai-kun and Kaka-sensei in here? Sasuke-kun, what happened?"

I moved toward her. "You had a nightmare. You were crying and you put a kunai to my neck in your sleep. You couldn't pierce me with it and fell into Naruto's arms and cried, saying all the time along the lines of 'I'm sorry, I can't do it, I'm sorry I'm weak'. Kakashi used his Sharingan to wake you up." She buried her face in my chest and wrapped her arms around me, sobbing. We were all surprised, but I ignored the other three ninja in the room and wrapped my own arms around her. I pushed her back slightly to see her face.

My hand moved up to her face and wiped her tears away of its own volition.

"What were you dreaming about?" I asked softly. I was surprising myself. **_Were you always this tender? I mean, I could be, but _**you**_, however…_**

_I'm kinda busy asking this myself. Why am I so gentle to her lately? Why am I opening up so easily…I'm becoming soft…_

Sakura returned her head to my bare chest (I sleep shirtless). She shook it slowly, still weeping.

Naruto put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright Sakura-chan. No need to tell us now. Tell us when you're ready." And with a smile she couldn't see but I'm sure she felt, he left the tent.

Kakashi simply put a hand on her head and said, "We're all here for each other, Sakura. Don't forget that." Then he left the tent, too.

Sai, looking hesitant and sort of scared, like he was entering an entirely new and scary territory, also put a hand to her shoulder –albeit slowly.

"I'm your friend, too, Sakura. Looking after each other is what friends are for, right?" His lips morphed. **_Was he trying to smile? Like, a real one?_**

Either way, he decided he couldn't and gave up. He gave a nod –**_she felt that didn't she? But people can't FEEL nods…well, no more than smiles…that makes no sense._**- and left the tent.

Sakura continued to cry in my arms for a small while. Then, she pulled away and began wiping her eyes. I pulled her back.

"Sorry, ***hic*** Sasuke-kun, for crying on you. ***hic*** Sorry for crying period. ***hic*** Man, I feel so weak. ***hic*** I ***hic*** promised myself I wouldn't cry. And here ***hic*** I am, hiccupping ***hic*** and crying…"

I wiped her tears away again, unable to help myself.

"Don't apologize," I mumbled. For some unknown reason, I felt my face heating up. **_Ooh, you're blushing! _**

_I don't blush, moron!_

**_Tell that to your face! *snicker*_**

I ignored him, continuing what I was saying to Sakura before I forgot, and tugged the girl toward me again. "Sometimes…it's alright to cry…"

Shocked, she pulled back a bit and looked into my eyes, seemingly searching for something in her surprise.

Then, she stopped, wiped her eyes, and smiled. "I guess you're right."

She gave me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek–gratitude?- and gently pulled herself from me and stood up. She headed for the flap of the tent. But before she reached it, she turned to me, smiling again.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

And she left.

Only after she left did I realize how much I didn't want to let her go. Silently craving for her touch again.

I was blushing again, too.

_What's wrong with me?_

* * *

**Sakura POV**

_So the dreams have already started…_

We had just completed the main part of our mission –letting the Daimyo complete his trading with a very popular merchant. Now, we were heading back to Konoha. We should be there by tomorrow.

Right now, the sun was setting, and I assume we're going to stop and set up camp soon.

"Alright, everyone. Let's stop here and set up camp," Kakashi said. _Called it._

"Would you like some help, Sakura?" I looked up from setting up my tent to see Kino standing above me with a polite smile on his face.

I shook my head and smiled back to him. "No, thanks, Kino-kun. I got it."

"Okay, Sakura. Have a good night's sleep." (We'd already eaten)

"You, too, Kino." He nodded and left.

Soon, Sasuke came up to me and helped me finish putting up the tent. When we finished, we both entered the tent and sat on top of our sleeping bags, not ready to actually sleep quite yet.

"I take it the sleeping arrangements are the same?" I asked.

He nodded. "Aa."

I giggled. "I hope Sai-kun will be okay, having to deal with Kayame's advances and all."

Sasuke smirked. "Better him than me, though."

I punched his arm playfully. "Sasuke-kun! That's mean." I said it while laughing, though.

After a moment of (comfortable) silence, Sasuke spoke up. "So why'd you move out? Did you want to be more independent?"

I was shocked by the question, and paused, as I didn't know how to answer. **_We can always tell him about that bastard of a father of ours beating us and our bitch of a mom_**(1) **_that is well…a bitch. Man, I miss our other ones. I mean, they weren't ideal, but they weren't this _**bad**_…_**

_No! We can't tell him that!_

**_Why not?_**

_It's a sign of weakness! And besides –he doesn't need to know. _

**_We need to tell them sometime, Outer._**

_No we-!...Alright. But not anytime soon._

I remembered that I have to answer Sasuke soon before he gets too suspicious. "Yeah! Independence. I can't be dependent of them all the time. Might as well start now." I smiled and pumped my fist, adding to the effect.

The look on Sasuke's face told me he didn't believe me. _Damn him for being so sharp…_

"I'll pretend I believe that. This isn't over." I sighed and rolled my eyes at his response.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun?" I was tentative. I didn't want to make him upset from what I was about to ask.

"Aa?" _Great. Back to 1-word answers…_

**_But you have to admit; his raised eyebrow makes him look sexy!_**

_…_

**_Aren't you going to respond?_**

_I have no idea how to respond to your overwhelming-…something._

**_I'll take that as a compliment!_**

_Believe me – even though I don't know what word to use, it wasn't a compliment._

"Who was your bro- cousin's last teammate? The female one?" Immediately, Sasuke's eyes darkened, as did his expression. He turned away and didn't speak for a while.

I decided that meant he wasn't going to answer and I shouldn't have asked, so I turned around to get into my sleeping bag.

But, before I could, I felt something grab my wrist. I looked to find Sasuke's hand attached to it.

"Don't. I'll…I'll tell you sometime. But not now. Not now." I gave him a small smile to provide comfort.

"I understand. Let's sleep now, okay? We can't be nodding off on the way back to Konoha. Good night, Sasuke-kun." With that, I attempted to go into my sleeping bag.

Operative word here, folks: "attempted'.

I had forgotten Sasuke had never let go of my wrist.

I opened my mouth to ask him about it, but the next things I felt were a pull, my head resting on something warm, and my body being covered by something.

I opened my eyes again (I closed them when I found myself on that warm something) and looked up when my world stopped spinning. I found Sasuke's eyes staring into mine. _He pulled me into the sleeping bag with him! How'd he do that so fast?_

I stared back for a while. Then snapped out of a daze I didn't know I was in. "S-sasuke-kun! W-what are y-you do-"

He interrupted me. _What's with him and interrupting me!_

"You're sleeping with me again tonight." I was shocked and blushed, but Sasuke's own (miniscule) blush didn't pass me by, however. My Inner smirked.

I couldn't resist teasing him. It was always so much fun. That is, if it worked. "You know, I would've just left my sleeping bag in Konoha altogether if I knew we were going to be sharing yours both nights." I giggled at Sasuke's embarrassed scowl.

"Hn." He muttered. I just smiled again, happy to be able to bond with him in a way no one else can. _Finally…something reserved just for me and him…I can't deny how long I've wanted this._

He lied back down and gently pushed my head onto his chest, so I can sleep, too. I squirmed a little bit, as did he, trying to get comfortable.

It resulted in a similar position as last night, yet different –my head resting on his upper chest, one (left) arm around him. His right arm across my waist and back, his chin cradling my head, his other arm also near my head.

Yeah. I'm specific. This is a once in a life-time event! I'm _not _forgetting it!

**_How…cutely intimate. We're cuddling with Sasuke-kun! CUDDLING! With SASUKE-KUN! I can die happy now…oh, wait. He needs to kiss us first. Hopefully with _**_tongue__**. **_**Then ****_I can die happy…_**

_Shut up. Trying to enjoy the moment here!_

I don't know if Sasuke was blushing too, but I decided I didn't care as long as I got to be close to him like this and he didn't mind. _This is a dream come true…_

"Good night, Sakura." His voice was soft in the darkness, a slight huskiness that was soothing and suddenly made me feel much sleepier than I was a moment ago.

"Good night…Sasuke…kun…"

And I let myself fall asleep in the arms of the boy I loved.

* * *

_Mm…what's that sound? Something's shaking me. What is waking me up from my beautiful sleep?!_

I open my eyes to look into my sensei's single eye.

I jumped. So did Sasuke. _He must have woken up when Kakashi-sensei shook us awake._

"So…anything you two need to tell me about?" Even behind his mask, Kakashi was sporting a wide grin. I don't know if it was creepy or just cheeky, though. _I'll go with creepy._

"No." _Huh. I guess this is the first time Sasuke and I ever spoke in unison._

"**_Really_**?" Kakashi's eyebrow was raised.

I sighed, picking myself up from my head resting on Sasuke's naked chest –_I had forgotten he sleeps shirtless_- which was where I found myself. Sasuke had also taken his hands from around my waist.

"**_Really_**, Kaka-sensei." I yawned and stretched, in a way similar to that of a cat. "Ahh…that feels good."

"For your guys' sake, I won't tell Naruto what I found this morning. I doubt he'd believe it unless he saw it himself, though. I'll leave you two to get ready and wash your faces in the stream. We'll be arriving in Konoha later so you can shower there."

As Kakashi left the tent, Sasuke made sure to make a comment. "Thank you _so _much for your generosity, Kakashi." **_Lovin' the sarcasm. It is my (our) best friend. Next to Ino. After Naruto._**

And (sarcastically, of course) Kakashi replied. "You're very welcome Sasuke, Sakura."

I shook my head at him. "I'm going out, Sasuke-kun. I hope Naruto hasn't cooked ramen for breakfast."

"Hn." He nodded and I left the tent.

* * *

I came back from washing my face to find everyone but Sai, Kino, and Kayame around the fire for breakfast.

I turned to Naruto. "Hey Naruto, where's-"

Just then, Kino and Kayame came running toward us. _Speak of the devil._

But Sai wasn't among them.

"Sajuma! Sai-kun won't wake up!" Kayame exclaimed to me, pointing to their tent.

I sighed. _She still can't get my name right._

"We tried slapping him, shaking him, screaming in his ear –everything! But all we get are incomprehensible mumbles and trembling!" Kino's eyes were worried and frantic.

I suddenly had a bad feeling. "Anything else?"

Kayame nodded. "Yeah! I think he muttered something like 'shin.' I don't know if it's a name or his shin or wha-"

I was already running to their tent. _Shit! Nightmares! _

I quickly entered the tent when I got to it and crawled over to Sai. I noticed that Kayame, Kino, Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi were waiting outside the tent with it wide open. I ignored them.

I shook my friend. "Sai-kun…Sai-kun…Sai! Wake up, damnit! Ugh!" Still only trembling and mumbles.

"Shin-nii-san…don't leave me…" I pulled his mouth open to look at his seal. It was a little red, but not very. I closed it. _He must have been muttering something about ROOT in his sleep then…_

My heart clenched to see a tear falling down his face.

"Why are you opening his mouth?" Judging from his tone, Naruto was _deeply_ beffudled. (love that word) Not that it's not unusual or anything.

I sighed. "Naruto. I need you to pull Sai-kun in a sitting position against you. Hold his shoulders."

His brow was raised, but he did it anyway.

_This is as good a time as ever to see if this works…_

I sent green chakra to my index fingertips. I put them against each of his temples and shot the chakra into his brain. _I remember Tsunade taught me this once, to wake someone from deep sleep. I hope this works like it did then…_

Sai jolted awake. "W-what? Shin-nii-san? Where are you? What's going on?!"

His eyes finally adjusted to see me. Naruto let go of him, now that Sai was sitting up on his own.

"He's…not here…is he?" Sai asked sadly.

I shook my head. "No, it was a nightmare, Sai-kun."

He looked down. My heart clenched even more. I noticed Kayame and Kino had already left- my other teammates were lingering outside the tent.

"…So he's really dead?"

I nodded. "Yes, he is."

"He saw the book…didn't he?"

"Mm-hmm." I wrapped my arms around my friend. **_It hurts to see him like this…_**

The chakra's of my teammates left this area. _Thanks for the alone time, guys._

He wrapped his arms around me, too, accepting the hug. "Can you hold me a while longer?" His voice almost broke and I found it difficult to hide my shock.

"As long as you wish."

"Thank you, Sakura."

I nodded, knowing he felt it.

He sobbed in my arms, while I barely held in my own tears.

Silently, I heard him mutter my best friend's name.

I didn't feel hurt at all that he preferred her over me. In fact, I felt a spark of hope. _He's learning to feel even more…_

**_Maybe he's developing feelings for Ino-pig. They've been hanging out a LOT lately. He's been talking about her a lot recently, too._**

_I hope. I want those two to be happy…If anyone deserves love, it's Sai..._

* * *

We had packed up the camp hours ago. Thank God no one asked about my moment with Sai. At least; not yet.

Right now, we were walking beside that carriage like we were before. All the teens on this side with Kayame leaning out the window in the carriage, Kakashi on the other side.

"Have you been kissed before, Sakura?" Kino's question caught me off guard. _I totally forgot he was there…_

I shook my head. Blushing a bit. _Well, at least I'm working on that… _"No, I haven't. Although…" I turned a fierce glare unto Naruto.

Seeing it, he raised his hands up in defense. "W-what did I do, Sakura-chan?!"

I pretended to think, putting a finger to my lips. "Oh, I don't know…almost stealing my first kiss while transformed as Sasuke-kun while I was his fangirl is what!"

"**_What?!_**" That was Sasuke.

"Is that what you did when you tied me up, Dobe? What else did you do, huh?! What else did you do looking like me?!" He was shaking Naruto by his collar, nearly choking him. **_This is actually kinda funny…these guys should make a reality show…it's sure to rack up some serious dough._**

_As long as I get at least 1/3 of the profit. _

"Oh!" Up until now, Naruto was completely oblivouis. Just now, a light bulb went up in his head. _Are you telling me he didn't remember until now?_ "I remember now!" _That answers my question._

"This I must hear. Please elaborate, Ugly." Sai was looking pretty attentive, as was Kino. And Kayame.

**_Can't forget the "princess", now can we?_**

"It was shortly after we were put in teams around a year ago**(2)**." I started. "I was sitting at a bench, dreaming about ways to get my beloved Sasuke-kun to fall in love with me and not Ino-pig –she and I were fangirl rivals for his love then. Thank God that's behind us now.

"Suddenly, I saw Sasuke-kun come up to me. To shorten this a little, 'Sasuke-kun'," I made sure to add air-quotes. "Had asked me what I thought of Naruto, I'm not proud of my answer and it's vastly different now. Anyway, 'Sasuke-kun was being pretty friendly to me, and if that wasn't all, the fact that he asked what I thought of Naruto should have raised some alarms –though those two are best friends, they aren't the buddy-buddy type. At all. And Sasuke-kun was pretty annoyed by me back then, too. Anyhoo, we talked a little more, again he being a little too affectionate and nice to be Sasuke, and…you know how in all those romance movies, the two main characters look into each other's eyes and lean in for a kiss?"

Everyone nodded. Even Kayame, who was listening intently. "Yeah. Well, that pretty much happened. I was ecstatic –'Sasuke-kun is going to kiss me! He likes me! You lose, Pig!'

"But here's the thing: we didn't kiss, thank goodness. Naruto's constipation -which was pretty frequent due to all the rotten milk he drank at the time- kicked in and he had to leave immediately, right when our lips would have met.

"I left the bench, dejected, and soon ran into the real Sasuke-kun. To say the least, it was a really… unforgettable conversation. However, I didn't find out it was Naruto until like a month ago, when I was thinking about how odd he was acting.

"And that's the story of my almost-first-kiss which I need to kill Naruto for when we get back to Konoha."

Kino laughed. "You all are an interesting bunch, aren't you?"

"What a nice way to say freaks. But yes, the most 'interesting'." Sai said, with a (fake) smile on his face.

I turned to see why Naruto was so silent to find Sasuke-kun wrapping up a whispered threat into his ear.

Soon, though, Kino and Kayame got themselves caught in a conversation with Sai and Naruto, leaving me and Sasuke alone.

"So, what'd you threaten Naruto with?" I asked him, bumping his shoulder with my own.

"Not much, promising to be **merciless** the next time we fight. Preferably the Chuunin Exams. And watch what he drinks. You?" He had his brow raised in curiousity. **_I _**_really __**like this more open Sasuke. Aren't we just amazing? Next: get him to kiss us.**_

I did my best to ignore my Inner. But most importantly, I was trying to ignore the prospect of kissing him. "Not sure yet, really. Maybe force him to eat these awful black medicine balls I made once. They're nutricious, but they taste so bad they should be illegal. I know how to make better ones now, but I'll make him eat the bad ones. I'm going to do something else, too, for sure, but I don't know what…"

"Black Medicine balls? They really taste that bad?"

I nodded gravely. "Forserious. Ask Sai-kun."

"Sai." _I didn't actually think he'd really __**ask **__him…_

"Mm?"

"How were Sakura's Black Medicine Balls?" Immediately, Sai's face turned green. He seemed to have trouble swallowing for a minute. Naruto was totally oblivious to the whole conversation, so caught up in his own about quality chop-sticks to use to eat food with with Kayame. _Weirdoes._

"I would only wish that atrocity on my worst enemies. They should be forbidden, they're so...***shiver***. Please; NEVER try them." And with that, Sai went back to his conversation with Kino, his face slowly turning back to its natural pale color.

Sasuke, seemingly stunned, turned back to me. "Medicine balls it is. Wanna work together on that other payback?"

I smiled. "I'd love to."

"How about…"

And I spent the rest of the mission enjoying speaking with Sasuke, and occasionally flirting with Kino or facing Kayame try to seduce Sasuke and failing pathetically.

* * *

The sun had gone down a little while ago, and with the mission totally complete, my team and I were heading home after eating dinner at our favorite Ichiraku's. Or, the team was heading home with me.

"You know you don't all have to walk me home, right? I can get there by myself." I said, exasperated by my team. _These guys…sometimes I don't know what to do with them…_

"But maybe we **want **to, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said.

I sighed, giving up. _I'm too tired to continue this already 10-minute argument. _"Fine. Come on. I need to stop at Karin's apartment first to get my pets."

I heard Naruto cheer behind me.

When I got to Karin's door, I knocked.

Or, well, I tried to. The moment my knuckle would've hit the door, it opened. I barely stopped myself from knocking Karin's face. Luckily, she anticipated and made sure she was far enough not to get hit but close enough to open the door. _Damn her and her sensory skills._

"They're all sleeping. Come in." **_Not even a hello? I guess that's Karin for you._**

We all entered her apartment. She told us to sit on her couch as she got little ones.

"I put all their stuff in your apartment so you don't have a lot to move over again. Your mail is on the island in your kitchen. Now hurry up and take them before they all fall!"

There were animals all over Karin. I decided not to ask why. But I did find it difficult to disguise my snickers.

There was a white with light blue stripes fluff-ball on top of her head, –which I assume is the kitten I picked out for her- a midnight kitten on her shoulder, a light tan/sandy colored puppy one on her foot, chestnut brown kitten in her arm, and a very soft yellow/bright gold puppy in her other arm.

She handed each of the ones except the one on her head to each of us minus Naruto. The midnight one to me, –which is Sasu-tan**(3)**, for those who didn't know- the chestnut kitten to Sasuke, the tan puppy to Kakashi, and the light yellow puppy to Sai, for whom he had taken a liking to, since the little one nuzzled Sai's face quite eagerly.

"What'd you name the kitten I gave you, Karin?" She took the white puff ball in her arms and stroke it as it yawned. I had realized that was her kitten.

"Shira. White. She's a girl. Who are you giving the last kitten and the two puppies to? D'ya know?"

I nodded. "The yellow one to Ino-he matches her hair. The tan one to Matsuri when I see her next. And the darker brown one to Tenten. Tenten just needs to finish kitten-proofing her apartment; she has weapons everywhere. And Ino needs to finish moving into her apartment. She asked her dad if she can move into one."

"Ino finished."

"She did?"

"Yeah. She texted me this morning that she was finished. You can bring the little guy to her tomorrow."

I stood by Karin's door as we left her apartment. "G'night." I said to her.

She nodded. "G'night."

Her kitten yawned. She nuzzled against Karin. "Looks like Shira needs to sleep. As do I. See you tomorrow Sakura. I wish the boys luck on the finals in a few days." And with that, she closed and locked her door.

I didn't miss the small smile she had when Shira nuzzled her. _Looks like a little companion was just what she needed until Itachi brings back Suigetsu and Juugo._

I entered my own apartment to find Naruto cooing to the little kittens and puppies as they slowly fell asleep in their bed in my living room, Sai and Kakashi reading my manga again, and Sasuke just lounging on the couch.

"Mrow…" I looked down in my own arms to see Sasu-kun meowing for my attention.

I sat down next to Sasuke on one of the couches. (I have 2)

"So you're Sasu, huh? Hey. I'm the big Sasuke."

I wanted to burst out laughing when Sasuke-kun nodded to the little kitten. I almost let it out when the kitten nodded back. He meowed something to Sasuke, and then gestured over to me, and rubbed himself into my chest, which I'm sure he enjoyed. **_What a weird cat we got here…and he's just over 5 weeks old…_**

Sasuke scowled at whatever Sasu said to him. "What'd he tell you? I understand most of what Sasu says, but since this seems like guy-to-guy talk, I have no idea." _Guy-to-Guy talk with a cat…am I going mad?!_

"You wouldn't believe me." By now, the rest of our team was watching us, enjoying how open Sasuke is being. I think I even see a smile under Kakashi's mask.

"Aw, come on, tell me." I pouted, pulling the "puppy-dog" face card.

I don't know if it was because it worked or he just decided to tell me on a whim, but Sasuke sighed and opened his mouth. "In terms that Usuratonkachi can understand, 'Nice to meet you', and 'Back off, Sakura's mine. As long as you understand that, we can be friends.' At least that's what I think he said."

I was gaping at Sasuke. _You can__**not**__ be serious…_

"Y-you speak cat, Teme?!"

"Well. Someone's a little jealous and protective ain't he?"

"I don't know much about cats, but are they always like this when a couple weeks old, Ugly?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "My family's weapon supplier lives with a bunch of ninja cats**(4)**, and there's even a cat city nearby. We did a lot of visiting."

I tilted my head, confused. "But if they're ninja cats, they can speak right? So how'd you pick up cat-speak if they spoke?" **_This has got to be one of the weirdest conversations we've ever had…after the time we had to give Sai the Talk…_**

**_DON'T…_**_speak of it._

"They taught me some things…and in the cat-city, they don't speak..human."

_Wow. That's…kinda cool, actually._

"Hey, guys? You know what's weird? I think I speak dog. Or canine, to be more precise. Or should I say more generally? Whatever. Either –or either?- way, the English language is stupidly complicated."

**_According to Karin, her teammate Juugo understood forest animals; birds, squirrels, bears, etc. If that Suigetsu guy speaks fish, we would have covered almost every group of animals. The world would never have to wonder what the animals are saying anymore! Animal Whisperers!_**

I tried not to laugh at that as I asked Naruto a question. "What makes you think that?" _It'd make sense if he did –Kurama is a canine Bijuu after all, being a fox._

"Well, during my fight with Kiba and Akamaru, I thought I understood Akamaru when he barked at Kiba sometimes, saying things like, 'Got it!', or even to me, 'Take this!'. I thought it was the adrenaline. And then, last week I came across a hungry dog, and oddly enough had some raw meet that I was going to put in my fridge, since I was on my way home from the grocery store. I gave it to him and he thanked me. I sincerely believed I was losing it. Now that I think about it, since Kurama's –the name of the Kyuubi- a canine, he's probably why I can understand other canines."

I was stunned. Utterly. Stunned. _What the _hell_?!_

Sai spoke. "Well. Sasuke understands Feline, Naruto understands Canine, and Sakura speaks and understands Girl. Quite the team you're leading, huh, Scarecrow-sempai?"

I raised a brow. "'Speak Girl'? Seriously, Sai-kun?"

Oddly enough, Kakashi nodded. "I kinda agree that 'Girl'," he put air-quotes on 'Girl', "is practically another language."

"I think the wisest thing that Shikamaru ever said was, 'Women. Men will never truly understand them.'" Naruto was rubbing an imaginary beard, reminding me of Confucius or somebody.

I looked to Sasuke, hoping for some sanity in my apartment. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

I scratched my beloved Sasu-kun behind his ears, listening to him purr as I sighed, exasperated. "You guys are so weird. I guess 'Guy' is another language, too. Now –get out. Seriously. I want to sleep, I'm tired."

I stood up, with Sasu in one arm, and shooed my team out with the other. At the door, however, before they could leave, I gave them each a hug, leaving Sasuke for last.

Since the others were already ahead in leaving, I turned to Sasuke and gave him a -lingering- kiss on the cheek, hugged him, the pushed him over to the stairs. "Bye Sasuke-kun."

I wanted to laugh at his confused face. I barely stopped myself from doing so when I heard him mutter as he left, "Women are so confusing…"

**_Ahh…soon, he'll be all over us! Keep up the good work, Outer!_**

_Uhh…sure. I'll do my best?_

I raised my kitten so his head was level with my own. "Let's go sleep, now, shall we? I'm exhausted."

He mewed. And then, believe it or not, he nodded.

I took him in my warms, locked the door, and headed to my bedroom.

Once I showered, brushed my teeth, changed into my pajamas, and put the little ones into their bed and set it next to mine. I crawled into my bed.

I propped myself on my side to face Sasuke –the kitten, people.

"So, how'd you like the other Sasuke-kun?" He mewed. I took it as an "he's okay."

He rubbed my nose with his, and I wanted to burst at the gesture's cuteness. His…expression reminded me of when Sasuke is saying something that he really feels, but embarrasses him. I'd remember that face. And I'd remember this one cuz I don't remember cats being able to have such distinctive expressions.

I recalled Sasuke-kun's translation of Sasu's response to him.

"It's so cute how you told Sasuke to back off. You're a little possessive one, aren't you?"

I smiled. "Mrow!" Sasu stuck his nose in the air for a second, then nuzzled my nose again, getting comfortable on the space left on the pillow next to me.

He purred, falling asleep. "Goodnight, Sasu." I kissed the kitten's nose, and fell asleep myself.

* * *

**? POV, Night before the Finals. Or, the morning…it's like midnight so…**

Clank.

_What the…_

Clank.

_Trying to sleep here!_

Clank-clank.

_Be a little more considerate, whatever you are!_

Clank-clank-clank-cla-

_Alright! I'm up! You better not be an enemy ninja!_

I woke up out of my bed, angry at whatever was disturbing my sleep.

However, I was still tired, so I was too lazy to open my eyes.

**_"Puru… piri…to-to-to~…"_**(5)

_Is that a bird? But that turn sounds so familiar._

I opened my eyes and turned to the source of the sound.

A crow behind my window.

_No way…it can't be-_

The bird chirped the same tune again. I realized it had something white on its neck.

I opened my window and picked up the crow on my finger, seeing that it was a note. I the moment I untied it from its neck, the crow flew away.

I opened the note, my hands shaking in anticipation. _It can be him, it can't be! Shisui has crows, too! He could just be playing a midnight prank on me again! For all I know, this note can blow up in my face! But, why would the crow hum _that _tune, then? I didn't teach Shisui that one, even though he could have learned it on his own._

Hello.

I'm sorry for not communicating with you after all this time. I wanted to, believe me.

Shisui told you everything, right? I only told you part of it –I didn't want to burden you with the rest, or stop me for that matter. I couldn't have you entangled in this mess.

Have you been getting weird dreams, lately? Good. That means that Shisui has hypnotized you. 

Yes. It's all true. Will you help me this time around? I need all the help I can get. 

..I need to see you again.

I hurt you when I left, didn't I? Your brother grew to hate Sasuke, did he not? 

What about Shisui? How is he? Uncle Garuto? Does Shisui have a girl, yet? Are you his?

Are you doing well now? Are you healthy? Is your brother healthy? His friends? Yours? Your Mother? Do you have a boyfriend?

Are you happy? I want you to be.

You know what I think of often?

Is it too selfish of me to have you all to myself?

Why did I write that? Why didn't I delete it? Maybe because I want you to know as much as possible. I'm also starting to believe I somehow caught a disease that consists of acting like a lovesick, sappy, wannabe-poet. 

Anyway - serious face.

I'm sorry I broke you when I left. We were so young.

I can't stop thinking about you. Is this love?

Do you still love me?

If you do, meet me at our [special] place in about a week. I'm not sure what day, yet though. A crow will lead you that night. A lot will be happening soon – be prepared. You will be targeted by someone even I have trouble fighting. Whether he'll begin to now or later is unknown.

Find a pink-haired genin and have her to tell you everything. Sakura Haruno. Tell her I sent you. She's out walking tonight. Find a stone bench in the park, near one of the gates. West or North, I believe. Whichever leads out of the village. She'll probably drift there.

Shisui already knows. 

I will see you again soon.

-Itachi.

PS: Aren't I chatty, today? And sappy? Forgive me. I've been surrounded by the most interesting characters, lately. They must be [a/in]ffecting me. Your choice of wording.

I gasped, putting my hand to my mouth. _This is him, alright! It can't be a fake!_

I quickly grabbed sweatpants and a jacket, jumping out my window.

"Now," I muttered to myself. "To find myself a pink-haired girl."

I rushed into the city.

* * *

**Sakura POV**

_Sigh. I can't seem to stay asleep._

**_Shut up…_****I'm****_ sleeping. Stop thinking…_**

_Like I can. Wake up._

Sasu yawned in my arms.

"Sorry, little guy. I couldn't bear to leave you at home, though." He simply nuzzled me again, but I'm not sure if it was out of sleepiness or understanding.

I sat down on the Infamous Stone Bench. _I'm always going to find myself here, aren't I?_

Then, Sasu's ears perked, and he started hissing. "What?"

I climbed his way to my shoulder, apparently searching for whatever he heard. _I forgot cats have advanced hearing also, even if it's not as strong as a dog's._

I turned to my right, which was where Sasu was facing, since he stopped hissing. _He must not have deemed whoever's there a threat. I hope that's a good thing._

Then I found who it was.

"Hey!" I said. "What are you doing here at this time of the night?"

She looked troubled, deep in thought. "Sakura."

She took a seat next to me on the bench. "Tell me everything. I-" She choked. **_We knew it! She _****is ****_the last member of team Garuto! _**"Itachi…-kun…sent me." _So she really does love him. She sounds exactly like I did whenever I talked about Sasuke after he left, up to shortly after Sai joined the team._

I looked at the woman for a moment, trying to search for any hint of deceit. "Alright. But let's go to a more remote location, shall we?"

I took her to where the others and I met up for our meetings in the clearing behind the bench. I set up a sound barrier Kiba had taught me in the future and told her everything; from the night Sasuke left to Sai's brother, Shin to Danzo and Orochimaru to the night Itachi invaded my dreams and sent us back to now. In return, she told me about her letter.

"But that's not all." I said, gravely.

"What else could there _be_? This is obviously bad news." She looked like she was going to collapse in tears, barely holding them back.

"Itachi is…" I gulped. **_This is so much harder than telling a parent that we couldn't save their child. And we know what that's like!_**

"Itachi is dying."

That was the last straw. The woman broke into sobs, crying into the night, and no longer bothered to hold them back; her face in her hands. I put my arms around her, trying to find a way to comfort the aching woman.

"I think it is the same disease that Shin died from. And even though I have none of his DNA, I do have Itachi's. Whatever Itachi has, it seems similar to a cancer, but not quite as a sever mutation in his cells and his organs are being eaten away at, his blood infecting itself in addition. If he was much older, he'd probably be having a multitude of blood clots."

I hated to tell her this. Even though we didn't specialize in the same field, she was still a medic-nin and knew what I was talking about.

"However, judging from what Itachi has told me, it isn't as bad as it was this time in the other timeline. He would've been far worse and died on his own by the time he was 26, possibly. Right now, he doesn't quite need strong medications yet. If I can get a hold of him and Lady Tsunade as soon as possible, we may be able to save him –stopping him from dying from this disease."

"So e-everything f-from my l-letters are t-true…I-Itachi s-s-said he'll see me again soon in his letter. W-when…w-when is he coming back?"

Swallowing deeply, trying to keep myself from crying too –_She's in so much __**pain**_- I answered her.

"A week minimum, and possibly 3 maximum. He told us…he told us that he will come after Lady Tsunade is made Hokage, and for that to happen, he wants Naruto and Jiraiya sent on their mission to retrieve her as soon as possible. Right after Sarutobi-sama's funeral, he says."

She was silent for a moment, her sobs quieting to simple hiccups and she wiped her eyes.

"H-have you met Shisui yet?"

I shook my head.

"Alright…I'll do my best to help you all with your mission. Maybe Shisui and I can come up with a plan. Give me your phone."

I gave it to her and she implanted her number. "Now you have my number and Shisui's."

"Thank you." We both stood up, and I picked up and huddled Sasu –who was rubbing the other woman's thigh in comfort when she was crying- closer to me.

When we met eyes again, she smiled. "Goodnight, Little Sasu." She blew a kiss at the kitten. "Good luck with Sasuke, 'kay Sakura? These Uchiha boys are a pain to fall in love with aren't they?" With a small laugh and a wave, she disappeared, out of sight now, back to her home before anyone realized she was absent in the middle of the night.

I stood stunned for a moment. _She just…she just cracked a joke!_

**_Were we that obvious when we spoke about Sasuke?_**

_We told her about the night we left, dumbass, which we've never done. So of course she knows we love him._

**_Right. Forgot._**

"Good luck to you too…Inuzuka Hana."

* * *

**(1): I know I had Sakura's mom be nice at first, but I don't want her to anymore. She's now a bitch who allows Sakura get beaten occasionally by her father, sometimes joining in or settling for verbal abuse, resulting in Sakura having an even low self-esteem when she was younger.**

**(2): I'm aware Team 7 didn't exist as Team 7 that long quite yet, but I changed that. Team 7 has been a team for a little over a year, now. The iPods (from 2 chapters ago) were anniversary presents.**

**(3): If you've noticed, yeah, the suffix for little Sasu has changed sometimes. I'll try to keep it as "Sasu-chan" or just "Sasu-tan" to avoid confusion. Just a cute suffix.**

**(4): Naruto Shippuden episode 189, I believe. "Paw Encyclopedia". Part of the Konoha History (Filler) Arc. That was a nice filler to watch though. Naruto and Sasuke's 2nd kiss was episode 194 for those who want to know. *winkwink***

**(5): That song that the crow is...chirping is an actual song. I tried to make it sound like Itachi's character song. But that's almost useless in writing. Remember in the last chapter, Sasuke said Shisui and Itachi's last teammate taught them to play the flute and other instruments? I always pegged Itachi more as a clarinet or piano sort-of-guy. But yeah - Itachi's character song was something Itachi and ? wrote together. It's special to them. **

**So now you know who the Mystery Girl is! Hana Inuzuka! **

**Yup, they even have a "special spot". I haven't decided where it is, though.**

**Yeah. Hana had confessed to Itachi shortly before he betrayed the village. He, as kindly as possible, let her know that he didn't love her back, though she knew already. I'll put that in a flashback in future chapters.**

**I don't know if I remembered to edit this in the last chap, but Sasuke said this to Sakura about Itachi and the night of the Massacre: **"He spoke to me, saying I should curse him; hate him; live a long; unsightful life; run, and cling to my pathetic life!"

**I put that here just in case I didn't.**

**Happy early b-day to my sis and I! **

**REVIEW! **

**REVIEW ACM!**

**YAY!**

**Love you all!**

**Don't forget, this may be the last update til early January!**

**The chapters will become shorter starting with the next chapter, Chapter 18!**

Until we meet again. **(I always wanted to say that!)**


	18. Chapter 18: Finals Part 1

**Saturday, December 8th, 2012**

******I know I said I probably wasn't going to update. That's because I didn't think I'd have time.**

**Yesterday was me and my sister's last day of school for the semester, since we're leaving on Monday for Kenya and the semester's last day is the 19th. **

**It was an okay day, til 8th period, when I was to present my sculpture.**

**I always worry a lot before I present something or when I'm going to perform in front of people.**

**Usually, things turn out better than I had originally thought, but this was the worst possible outcome.**

**I have a fear of being in front of people, but I usually hid it okay when I'm in front of people. **

**But when I was presenting...when it came to be my turn after my 2 partners, I was beyond terrified. My heart was beating REALLY hard; I was shaking; almost yelling when I spoke, which happens when I'm scared sometimes; and I was choking on my words, nearly crying with no tears. We had a time limit, and y other partners used to much so I had very little time and tried to hurry, but my fear was no help. I wanted so much to run out of the classroom, but I couldn't. Then, the bell rang and my teacher said anyone who had to go home (8th was the last period) to do so quietly.**

**Then, our timer rang, and one of my partners had to wrap things up, so I stopped and let her finish. I got out of the classroom as fast as I could, then went to take my math final, which my teacher was able to finish in time for us to take.**

**I hadn't been that scared since I saw that spider crawl up my torso. But I don't even know if I was hallucinating or not. And that was probably the most cared I'd been in front of a crowd ever. Now I'm scared I'll never be able to be in front of my class ever again. And there were only 18 people in that room! Including me, my teacher, and partners!**

**Then, this morning, I realized I forgot to turn in my history final to the teacher. I talked to my dad about it, and he was angry, but eventually, we decided to drop it off at school on Monday before we left.**

**Not a great day. Or days.**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But I will own Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations ASAP, to play on the XBox I was saving up for that my dad got for sis and I for an early b-day and Christmas present. Now, I can use the money I saved up for games, books, and candy.**

**Oh, and the beginning of NEJITEN that we see! Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 18: The Finals

**Matsuri POV *Day of the Finals***

"Huff huff… Gotta …huff...hurry…"

Inside I was cursing myself for leaving my alarm in Suna, and cursing Ittetsu**(1) **and Sari**(2) **for leaving me and not waking me up in time.

I was also cursing myself for engorging in some of the cookies I made for the Sibs this morning at the hotel.**(3) **Chocolate chip for Gaara, Oatmeal for Kankuro, and M&M's for Temari.

**_At this rate, we're going to be late for the Finals! We hoped to be early to say hi to everyone, but unfortunately, that might not happen!_**

_For once, you're talking sense Inner!_

**_I'm ALWAYS talking sense, Outer! You just don't understand it! Anyway, you know what the worst thing is? WE, as in the US transferred from the future, haven't seen Gaara since he started fighting his father in the War!~ I miss him! I need my beloved Gaara! We haven't had a chance to kiss him again! _**

_…Forget what I said about you and sense. Those words don't belong in a sentence together._

**_You know you want to kiss him again, seeing how much we LOVE him! I'm so glad we got over our fangirlism before the War…_**(4)

**I **_did, I don't know about you._

**_Oh, shut u- OMG! There's the stadium! We're here!_**

_YES! _

In front of the front entrance of the stadium where the Final Exam was going to be held, was a group of people.

Suddenly, an orange and blue and gray blur shot through the wooden fence across the street from the stadium.**(5)**

When the group yelled, "Naruto! Konohamaru?!", I knew they were just who I was looking for.

_Huh…Naruto-san must have grown by the time he helped me get Gaara back. I have to say- he's pretty short. Well, Gaara is/was too, so…_

I searched for heads, and found a maroon red one, which was just what I was looking for.

"Gaara-sens- Gaara-kun! Tema! Kankuro!" I waved my hand in the air and ran over to the group, specifically the Sand Sibs.

They all looked surprised to see me, as I practically jumped into Temari's arms. (We're best buds, by the way. We help each other and tell each other just about everything. *winkwink*)

"How're your books going?" Temari asked, referring to my auto-bio and fantasy novel. "Well, though re-writing the old stuff is a serious pain in a certain place."

In the other time, I had started writing an auto-biography shortly after I became Gaara's student, starting the story as early as I remembered, continuing from then on.

However, I kept all of it on paper and on my laptop, refusing to let it out to the public quite yet.

When I was brought back to the past, I had to re-write everything over, fully intending to continue it like this, including the time-travel. Yes, I had asked Itachi if I can include it in the auto-bio, and he consented as long as I published it when the land was peaceful and I was at least 40. I agreed full-heartedly.

For my novel, **(6)** it was a romance and action story, with a mix ninja, medieval, and modern themes. It was sort of based of my life, and my friends' lives, as well as inspiration from multiple media sources (music; manga; other novels) and my own imagination.

It was quite the story, popular among both genders for "the perfect blend of romance, action and adventure", according to many reviews. I called it the Awoken series, the first being Awoken: Birth, the second, Living. I was in the middle of writing the 3rd, though I haven't thought of a title yet. I had only published Awoken: Birth and the 2nd was postponed for the war.

All my friends had read it, loved it and congratulated me for my work and accomplishment as a best-seller in 2 years.

Anyway, I turned to Gaara, my arms out, while his eyes were slightly widened. For Gaara, that's as surprised as you get.

I remembered that Gaara doesn't do hugs and I placed my arms beside me instead.

"Gaara-kun! Surprise!" _I'll settle with jazz hands._

"W-whoa, whoa, whoa! Who's she? Your girlfriend, Gaara?" asked an astonished, gray-hooded boy, who I distinctly remembered as Inuzuka Kiba. His white puppy came up to me, and I learned down to let him sniff my hand. I recalled him as Kiba's partner, Akamaru.

Apparently, he must have liked the way I smelled since he nuzzled into it a bit, and I pet him. Then, he went back to the top Kiba's head.

I flashed them both a smile.

Back to Gaara.

"Well, she's a girl, and I guess my friend. Not sure."

Kankuro face-palmed himself after hugging me. If you've noticed, I've grown close the Sand Sibs. "No, not that! Remember what Temari and I told you about romantic relationships?"

Gaara thought for a minute. "Oh, now I remember. No, she is not my girlfriend."

I realized I should introduce myself. "Oh, right! I'm-"

"-Sorry we're late! Ms. High-Maintenance here decided to flirt up a storm with these guys we ran into. It's all her fault."

Ittetsu and Sari came running up to the group.

"I'm not high-maintenance! And _they're _the ones that flirted with me! It's not my fault guys find me _hot_." At this, she flipped her long, dark brown hair. "And you were the one who got us late heading to Suna in the first place! First, you wake up when we should've been leaving, and then you decide to _forget _all your ninja tools and then-"

Temari interrupted them. "But I thought you should've been here a couple days ago?"

I shook my head. "Nah. It was delayed because Baki was too busy with Kazekage-sama to finish my exam earlier. But I passed!"

I pointed to the Suna headband on my neck, the plate attached to my signature yellow scarf, instead of the normal blue or black cloth.

"I'm a Suna Genin now! I joined Ittetsu and Sari, since they were alone!"

Kankuro smiled. "Good for you! Who's your teach?"

"Baki. You guys normally don't need one, so he's ours, too."

I turned to the Konoha Genin.

"As I was saying before I was _interrupted_, my name is Matsuri, these two are Sari and Ittetsu, and we're all from Suna and friends of the Sand Sibs."

"I have a question." That was Shikamaru. _I remember that he looked bored often when he and the others helped me get Gaara back. I guess that's just the way he is._

"Shoot."

"How'd you **just **become a Genin? I mean, I'm sure that Suna's system is different, but I highly doubt that students become Genin at random times in the year –there's gotta be some organization. And you seem old than us, too. Also, why did you almost call Gaara 'sensei'?"

…Geez, man.

"Well, that's actually 2 questions, but whatever.

I never went into the Sand's ninja training system when I was younger. Only after my parents died when I was nine, did I have an interest. When I was eleven, I met the Sand Sibs and got a chance to train to be a ninja. After some…time, Gaara-kun accepted being my teacher, as well as Baki (well, so did Temari and Kankuro but not as much) and trained me in basic ninja arts. Gaara-kun taught me most of the time. In return for that and letting me live with them permanently, I usually cook and do some chores around the house, as well as pay some of the bills if I can make money somehow. I passed my Genin Exams 4 days ago, and immediately came here to cheer Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara-kun on in the Finals, and surprise them. Oh, and I'm 14**(7)**."

Shikamaru nodded.

"Oh!" I just remembered something, pulling something from my mini-backpack.

"I made you guys some cookies!" I said, presenting the SS (Sand Sibs) a box of cookies, and they each took on of their respective flavor. (TemariM&M, KankuroOatmeal, GaaraChocolate Chip.) I took a sugar one for myself.

"I'd pick this any day over Temari's cooking. Mm..." Kankuro sighed, as he finished this.

"Then maybe you should learn to cook, dumbass! And my food isn't that bad! It's mediocre! Right Gaara?" Temari turned to her bother, wiping crumbs off her lips.

"Hn," was all that came from Gaara.

"Well, then." Karin broke the silence, her face deadpan. _Now that I think about it, this is the first time we've met in person. _"Don't you guys have some Finals to participate in? Genma's**(8)** waiting for you." She pointed to the entrance of the arena, where the said adult was waiting.

"Ahh! Shit! Thanks, Karin! I'm gonna kick your ass, Teme!" And with that, Naruto ran to the arena, the others following him.

"He'll have to get through me first," I heard Neji mutter under his breath as he followed the rest of the participants.

"Let's go find some seats, eh?" Ino said, dragging Chouji behind her.

All who was left followed.

* * *

**Sakura POV**

I saw Hana flagging me down, sitting next to her mother, who had Kiba on the other side of her–with a seat in-between the two- and I sat on the other side of her, the others finding places to sit around us.

"Hi Sakura." She smiled in greeting. I greeted her the same way. "Hello, Hana."

Hinata walked down the row to get to the older girl, hugging her. "Hello, Hana-nee, Tsume-kaa." At first, I was surprised at such familiar honorifics, then I remembered that Hinata's mother died shortly after Hanabi was born and she was very close to Kiba, therefore, the two were close to his family, too.

"Hi, Hina! How are you? I heard you were injured from your preliminary battle? Who did it?" Tsume Inuzuka spoke with a strong, rough, stern, but motherly tone to Hinata.

"I'm fine now," the girl replied. "I was fighting my cousin, but I think our problems will be resolved soon enough."

"Hinata! Sit here – we'll have an _excellent_ view of your cousin and Naruto fighting. To be honest, I think Neji will win but I want Naruto to."

Kiba pulled Hinata to the empty seat to his right and the left of his mother and started talking animatedly with her.

I took my own seat to the right of Hana (her mother was to her left), anxious for the events about to pass.

"Hello there! Girl with the pink hair?" "Hey, Pinkie!" I turned to find the source of the unfamiliar voices calling obviously for me. I turned to my left and found 4 people, 3 with black hair, fair, almost pale, skin, and dark eyes. The fourth, a girl with very, very dark purple hair, almost black, slightly tanned skin, and vivid blue eyes, a few shades darker than Naruto's. A woman, a man, a boy probably around 17-20, and the girl who I presume to be his girlfriend around the same age. **_Uchihas for sure. Must be Sasuke's parents and that Shisui guy._**

The woman –Sasuke's mother- took a seat next to me, her family following. She smiled brightly and hugged me, then pulled away and took my hands.

"You are Haruno Sakura, right? Sasu-chan's teammate?" Sasu, the kitten mewed from my lap, hearing his name, even though the woman wasn't referring to him. "He's told us all about you!"

She squealed. **_Man, Sasuke's mom looks so young! If I didn't know better, I'd think she was in her mid-late 20s, but she has to be older than that to be Itachi's mother, too!_**

I guess I must have looked surprised or confused, because Shisui –I'm sure now- poked his head around his aunt to see me, saying, "Correction. He's said some things about you, knowing him. But I'd admit –it's quite a bit for Sasuke. He must be very fond of you." He winked.

I blushed. _And here we go again with the blushing thing._

Sasuke's mother gasped. "I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Uchiha Mikoto, dear." She gave me another warm smile. _No wonder Sasuke loves his mother so much. _She points to the 3 others sitting next to her. "This is my nephew, Shisui, his girlfriend, Arakawa Murasaki**(9)**, and my husband, Fugaku."

The all waved respectively, Fugaku was more stoic, however. _Now I know where Sasuke gets it from. _

I bowed slightly, as I was still sitting with a kitten on my lap. "Hello, nice to meet you all. I'm Haruno Sakura, as you all know." Sasu mewed. "And this is…well this is Sasuke. I call him Sasu, though." I flushed, embarrassed that they now know that my pet kitten is named after their family.

Shisui snickered. "And why do you call him that?"

"He well…he acts like Sasuke-kun, and his fur is the exact same shade as his hair, so…"

Shisui, Mikoto, and Murasaki shrugged, taking my word for it.

Then Mikoto looked over my shoulder, brightening and saying, "Hana-chan! I haven't seen you for so long!"

The two stood up and hugged, then Mikoto sat back down next to me, a mischievous grin suddenly making its way across her lips. "So…just how close are you and Sasuke? He speaks of you pretty often. And, you're a very pretty girl, so who knows…Naruto as also very attached to you, and a girl called Hinata Hyuga."

My face burst into flames of embarrassment. "U-Uchiha-san! It's not like that! We're just v-very good friends, is all! Like family! I'm not that pretty either! Oh – wait! What about Hinata?"

My hands were flying in all directions, trying to make some kind of point. But I was able to sneak a glance at Hinata, who was flushing. Obviously, she heard Mikoto's comment.

Mikoto simply waved my comment off. "Oh, shush, hun. You're not fooling me. And call me Mikoto. A family of Sasuke is a family of mine!"

Shisui smirked again. _So it's an Uchiha thing._ "So if you're Sakura, who's this 'Sai' guy?"

"I am." We turned our heads to the row behind us, consisting of Sai, Ino, Chouji, Sari, and Ittetsu. (if you're looking at them head-on, left to right)

"You are from the Foundation, correct?" Fugaku spoke.

The pale boy nodded. "Yes, sir. I have been on Team Kakashi for about 2 and a half weeks now."

"Well, looks like Naruto wasn't exaggerating when he said you were as pale as paste." Shisui commenting dryly.

Sai simply gave another fake smile. "So Dic-" Ino nudged his side, nodding her head over to the Uchiha family. Remembering his language, he started again. "So Naruto-kun speaks of us, does he? Speaking of him, isn't he up first, against Gir-**(10)** I mean, Neji-san?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I can't wait to see the fight."

We all sat back in our seats, turning away from the row above us, as we can hear them and we don't want to miss the fight.

Just then, it seemed Genma had finished introducing all the participants, and was now beginning the first fight.

"…Begin!" And the fight began.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Mikoto asked out loud, speaking to those who could hear her.

"I think it's Neji. According to Sasuke, Naruto is stronger than he seems, but I doubt he'll be able to beat a Hyuuga prodigy." Shisui said, his father nodding in agreement.

"Actually," started Murasaki. "I think Naruto-kun's going to win. With his determination, who knows what's going to happen?"

I agreed with the girl, petting Sasu who just can't seem to sleep. "I think Naruto's going to win, too. In addition, he swore to defeat Neji for Hinata and he isn't one to break a promise."

"It's official! I must meet this Hinata!"

Hinata rose her hand meekly. "I'm r-right here."

Mikoto immediately hurried to her and hugged her, too. "You're so beautiful! And adorable! Why couldn't you be _my _daughter?!"

Hinata, caught off guard, was only able to hug the woman back.

When she pulled away, Mikoto turned to the figure sitting on Tsume's lap. "Now who's this? Your little sister, Hinata?"

Said "little sister" pouted. "My name is Hanabi. And I'm almost 10 **(11) **so I'm _not _little."

Before attacking the young girl in a hug, Mikoto looked toward Tsume as if asking permission to hug Hanabi, who was on her lap. The other woman merely shrugged. Mikoto took that as a yes.

"Oohh! You're _both _beautiful! Man, I'd almost trade you guys for Shisui and Sasuke anyday!" Hanabi blushed, hugging her back. _I think _someone _enjoys the attention._

Shisui feigned offense. Well, maybe it wasn't fake. "Love you too, _Auntie_!"

Seemingly finished with the Hyuga sisters for now (Hinata of which who said she believed Naruto would win, and Hanabi believed he'd lose), turned back to me.

"So?" Mikoto asked.

"So…what?" I replied in turn. I was totally confused. _What is she talking about?_

"Are you and my Sasuke-chan," she looked around, making it look like she was seeing if anyone was spying. Then she whispered loudly –ruining the looking around effect- "in a secret relationship?"

Instantly, my face was as hot as the sun. "W-w-wha-what?! NO! No-no-**_nooo_**! Not at all!" My hands were waving in the air in a panic, trying to make a point that I'm sure made no sense. _HUH?! That's-...that's-...insane!_

Mikoto pouted. **_Sasuke-kun's mom is officially totally epic. I love her! _**"No? Do you secretly like each other, then?"

More no's, blushes, and frantic hand dances from me. "No? Oh…I see…"

Seeing my absolutely confuzzled (made it up, isn't it awesome?) expression, Mikoto leaned over to whisper in my ear. "You have a crush on Sasuke, I see. Don't worry –I won't tell."

Pulling back, she winked.

I heard someone whisper, "Good luck", and turned to the source, only to find an also winking Shisui and Murasaki.

To save whatever I had left of my dignity, I turned to the fight and tried to concentrate of keeping little Sasu-tan satisfied and loved and Naruto kicking Neji's ass.

_This is so embarrassing…_

* * *

**Tenten POV *Meanwhile Sakura and Mikoto***

"Woo! Go Naruto! Kick his ass! Show him what he's got comin'! Woo!" _At this rate, I'll lose my voice by the second match._

I didn't stop cheering for Naruto, though. Neji really deserved this.

"Tenten-chan? Why are you cheering so adamantly for Naruto-kun?" Lee asked me, after tapping my shoulder to get my attention. "I mean, I am too, but I'm not _booing_ Neji-kun. I mean, after what happened last week I thought that you two would've gotten clos-"

Catching on to what he was saying, I quickly covered his mouth before he could finish and the others could hear. Karin, who was sitting to the right of Lee raised a brow, but didn't say anything. I looked at Matsuri, who was to my left (Lee was to my right) but she wasn't paying attention. She was adamantly watching Naruto and Neji-kun's fight, sucked in, but silent. (We were all in the front row, Sakura's row behind us)

Knowing no one else was close enough to have heard and Karin wouldn't say anything, I released Lee. "T-that was nothing, Lee-kun. It was for the mission. You know that." I was barely able to conceal my blush.

"But don't you have feelings for him? You've liked him ever since we were kids, Ten." I shook my head. _Don't say that, Lee!_

"I gave up on that crush when we were eleven and you know that!"

"Did you really?" I looked back up from the ground and back at my might-as-well-be little brother in the face. He looked…so serious. _It's like he's looking into my soul!_

I froze, and after a moment's pass, Lee turned back to the fight. It took me a little longer to relax in my seat again.

_Sometimes, I hate how perceptive he can be._

* * *

**FLASHBACK NO JUTSU: ACTIVATE!**

_Team Gai was sent on an emergency mission just days before the Finals. Neji was irritable at the beginning, but then calmed when he learned it was C-Rank._

_It was a sort of espionage-undercover mission in the Land of Hot Water, infiltrating a high-class ball that was being thrown by an enemy rouge ninja, who was posing as a well-liked aristocrat that was throwing a birthday party for another woman(who was an actual aristocrat) but was using the party to find a place to hide a secret scroll he stole from Konoha. He'd apparently been living in this village for a couple years, building a facade. He was recently discovered as someone else by a friend of Gai's. Thus, we were sent on this mission._

_ Neji and I would pose as a 3-month newlywed couple, using a simple genjutsu to make us look older to anyone but the team. Basically, an older version of ourselves but Neji would have black eyes, no curse mark, and shoulder-blade-length hair, instead of his usual almost-waist length._

_Lee would be our mutual friend who we were taking a trip with and would dance with a random woman at the ball. He's look like a typical, black haired, black eyed man. Not super handsome, but not ugly either. Average. Gai would be the date of his friend, the one who discovered the rouge nin. He'd look the same except with straight dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. _

_Like I said, when we looked at each other, we saw our normal selves. We got descriptions of what we looked like to others from Gai's date. _Gai's…date…wow. I never thought I'd use those words in the same context.

_Our part of the mission was to keep up our personas while acquiring as much information about this ball and the enemy rouge nin, whom is named Karanuki Sousuke. (last-first name) _

_I think we were doing pretty well, until one of the richer couples (it was a couple's ball) came up to us –well, the woman did- and demanded proof of our relationship, as we were too, "stiff". She introduced herself as Tarana Minako, the niece of the leader of the village. Her husband was Tarana Kenta._

_"Plenty of thieves sneak in here for money, gold, and women. What makes me believe that you're not one of them? I've never seen either of you before, and I've lived in this area my whole life – no one gets past me." She said. _She's pretty sharp, _I thought. But then I realized that wasn't quite the problem here._

_"3-month newlyweds? Where's the love? Where's the passion?! Why would you two marry each other if you aren't lovey-dovey?! This couldn't have been arranged. And even if it was a case where you two fell for each other, I'm not seeing the sparks! I'm a human version of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty! I know these things!" _

I take that back. She's just romance-obssessed.

_"It wasn't arranged." Neji, or as he is to be known, Hiro Arakawa, stated._

_"Oh, really? Prove it."_

_"And how do you suppose we do that?" I had spoken up. I didn't like where this was going._

_"With a kiss, of course. What kind of lovers wouldn't kiss each other?"_

_I snuck a glance at Lee and Neji. Both had trouble keeping their expressions calm and not pink. I however, couldn't control my blush, but I didn't despair over it. It's fine for the woman to blush._

_"U-um," I stuttered. "Hiro-kun is…well, he's a quiet man. He doesn't favor PDA, much."_

_"If you don't do it, I'll call security on you."_

_"What!? What did we do?!" I was scared and pissed at the same time. _Why this…this bitch!

_"You didn't show enough love to prove to me you were an actual couple." As if we weren't important enough for her to continue gazing at, she started looking at her nails. "For all I know, you could be thieves, or assassins sent to kill me. Or my aunt, for whom this party was for, for that matter. I have power and I __**will**__ use it."_

_Her grin was snide, and I wanted to slap her across the face. However, I felt a tug at my arm and turned to my supposed "husband". _

_I didn't see the black eyed, brown haired man everyone else did. I saw my best friend. And the person whom I have had a "crush" on since I was seven. I thought I had gotten rid of it by the time I was 11, only for it to resurface at 12, when we graduated the Academy and became a team. (in the other time-line, at least -not sure about this one) Ever since, I hadn't been able to shake it off, and I was afraid of the feelings getting stronger._

_Neji nodded slightly. My eyes widened out of surprise. _What? He wants to…kiss…me?

_He directed his eyes to Minako and back at me. _Of course he doesn't want to kiss me! Mission, duh!

_"Well? Are you going to show me your love or not?"_

_"We will." That was Neji._

_We turned back to each other, his eyes searching mine for something akin to…permission? I nodded. _

_He started leaning closer to me, and I did the same._

_But, instead of going straight for my lips, he whispered, "For the mission" in my ear first, then headed back to my lips, only to stop less than a centimeter away._

What's he doing?

_Then it dawned on me. He's never kissed a girl before._

Of course he hasn't! Then I guess _I'll _take the lead, then.

_I tried not to think of an event similar to this one in the other timeline, and instead focused on meeting lips with my-…I don't know..._

_But I do know, the moment we connected, all I felt was Neji; all I heard was his breathing; I smelled was his [coconut] cologne; and tasted was his lips. All I could see his own eyes, as both of ours closed._

_Bringing me closer to him, Neji wrapped his arms around me, pushing me against his chest and resting his right hand behind my neck and his left on the small of my back, never breaking the movement of our lips._

_I wrapped my arms around his neck in response, tangling my hands in his long, loose hair._

_The kiss was sweet, and chaste; a perfect not-so-first kiss. _I refuse to think of that for now. Just focus on Neji…

_The kiss also had a hint of something I'm not so sure about, and scared to name: passion; love. Maybe it was the fact that we were posing as a couple, but I couldn't help but feel there was just a pinch of it in there, at the least. It may have been coming from me alone, however._

_Finally, we broke apart, catching our breathing, unable to break away our eyes from each other._

_Until we heard a clap. _

_"Bravo! That's more like it! I believe you now – you're even still in that puppy, sweet, love faze." Minako had a smile so bright, it almost challenging Naruto's._

_I'd know that –_we were friends in the orphanage, remember?

_Unable to do anything but nod, Neji just barely held in his pink flush while mine remained the shade of Sakura's hair._

_"I wish you a good marriage and continuously great __**experiences**__, if you know what I mean." With a suggestive wink and a wave, the woman and her husband was gone._

_My face had leveled up to the shade of Karin's hair at Minako's comment._

_Soon, Lee came up to us, grinning. His partner was apparently in the restroom. "Again, huh? You two didn't get enough when we were kids, did you?"_

_I smacked him. "Shut up! I-I'm going outside for some air!" _Who has he been hanging out with lately? **Kiba**? There's no way Lee would be able to make such a comment otherwise!

_For the rest of the night and the next morning, though the mission was successful, Neji and I couldn't look at the other without flushing. Again._

_The jokes and teasing from __**both **__ Gai-sensei –who'd apparently seen everything- and Lee were no help._

_But it was a night I'd never forget._

**FLASHBACK NO JUTSU: RELEASE!**

* * *

And that's what happened those days ago. I'm even acting like a love-sick little girl. I remembered the date.

November 3rd, 2012. My first, real kiss, in this timeline.

I'm sure you're wondering what all these references to other kisses are about.

Just over a month after I turned seven, I had overheard some adults talking about kissing. With all the kiddie romance manga, picture books, and movies (such as Disney Classics) I had been absorbing at the time, I concluded that a kiss was one of the ultimate and most sacred expressions of love that had ever existed.

* * *

**FLASHBACK NO JUTSU: RE-ACTIVATE!**

_"Two people who love each other very much kiss each other on the lips!" I told Neji, who was still a bit sensitive from his father's death at 5, and also Rock Lee. "If they do it, they might be together forever!"_

_"Why bother if it's a maybe? What if it doesn't work?" Neji asked. We had a pretty good relationship. Back then, it wasn't uncommon for me to glomp him in the middle of the street when the other Hyugas weren't around. _(He was effing adorable!) _It wasn't uncommon for us to say, "Love you" to each other, either, because we really did, as friends. _

_So I thought the same rule would apply in the kiss. I didn't know a kiss was done between __**romantic **_lovers_._

_I answered him. "It's still a sign of ave-…affet-..affafe-…"_

_"Affection?"_

_"Yeah, that!"_

_"So you still want us to do it?"_

_"Mm-hm!"_

_"What about me? Are you going to kiss me? I don't want to kiss Neji-kun. Ever!" Lee interjected._

_"You won't have to. But kissing on the lips isn't for brothers and sisters. I can kiss you on the cheek, though!" Lee and I have always been close –thinking of each other as brother and sister._

_"Okay!"_

_"So, Neji! Ready?" I made him stand up, and I stood in front of him._

_"How do I do it?" He asked._

_I pursed my lips a bit. "Like this!"_

_He imitated me. "Now what?"_

_"Now this!" And I pushed my lips against his. I didn't move them, though. I didn't know to do that. _

_So, essentially, it was just a pressing of lips._

_I pulled back, and said, blushing, "There! Now we'll be friends forever!"_

_Neji was blushing so hard, he could only nod. _

_Then, I turned to Lee and gave him his rightful kiss on the cheek. Even though I did that to both of them often, even now, it was still special because of my "discovery". _

**FLASHBACK NO JUTSU: RELEASE**

* * *

I felt we all, especially Neji and I, bonded even more that day.

I also think that was the day I started to develop romantic feelings for Neji, though I didn't know it yet.

Oh, and I remember that date, too. May 8th, 2005. I'm 14 now, if you didn't know.

As for that other one, it was when I was 17, just before the Invasion, in the other time.

I'm not going into a flashback for that one now. Let's just say it involved chasing, hiding, certain missing clothing articles and accessories – specifically shirts; tongues; an acorn; and a rotten, possessed, **_evil_** squirrel. And as I later found out, a witness. Well, technically multiple, but one neither of us were specifically aware of.

Oh, and a big tree.

**_It was HOT and steamy, too!_**

_Shut up, you!_

I stuffed the being in my head into a random safe that I found in my mind, locking it.

Yeah. I have an Inner. She isn't strong, though, like Sakura's or Ino's. They've had theirs longer. I've had mine since I was 15 in the other timeframe. She's quite annoying.

Back to the fight.

It had ended, with Naruto's infamous/famous (for the time travelers minus Sai, Karin, and Matsuri) underground uppercut punch to Neji's jaw, causing an uproar of both amazement and shock at Neji's consequential incapacitation.

Karin, with the $5, cheap, portable, Kodak camera she had bought somehow caught the punch almost perfectly.

The girl had revealed a long-hidden love for photography, -and talent- carrying the camera everywhere she went.

I had many times seen her gaze at the high-quality, top-notch, Nikon Camera, the Nikon D700 with unmistakable longing in her eyes.

So, the other girls and I decided to give that to her as a Christmas present. Along with a Mac so she can edit the pictures. Oh, and perfume. She loves perfume; not to mention it's her namesake. **(12)** Sakura got her birthday out of her, and we decided it was WAY too far away.

I mean, she _is _one of us now, despite what else has happened. She is changing and for the better. Not to mention, she's on a budget with the credit card given to her by Lord Hokage, since she hasn't been doing enough missions to take care of herself. She's also got Shira now, to feed.

Speaking of which, Shira and all the other pets are with Jenti, Kiba's cousin who did not wish to come to the Finals. She will be taking care of them whenever we cannot. Of course, Sasu-tan is almost always with Sakura, so Jenti will be having one less mouth to feed and take care of majority of the time.

As you may know, I was given a kitten, also. It was chestnut colored, with brown eyes. Like me. (the eyes)

However, I have a dilemma.

I'm stuck between three names: Chairo ("brown"), Kuri ("chestnut"), and Ryuga ("the dragon"). He's a boy by the way.

The first two are for obvious reasons, and the third is my obsession with eastern dragons. Ever notice that my attacks are dragon-themed?

Yeah. So, I'm stuck. **(13)** I just address my little one with all 3, and luckily he responds to all of them, but won't let me know which one he likes best. So I hope I'll choose one eventually.

Similarly to Sasu, my little one (I'll say that for now) is also arrogant and possessive. However, he also likes to "catwalk", flaunting his beautiful fur, his head up. _Haha…I made a funny._

When he met Neji for the first time, the two just stared at each other, (possibly glaring) and then nodded respectfully at each other. _Guys…I'll never understand them._

When he met Lee and Gai, he turned back to me with an expression similar to, "Are you freaking kidding me?" I shook my head.

He turned back to them, and with a nod and a nuzzle to Lee's hand, scurried back to my lap.

Now, to focus on Temari vs. Shikamaru, as Shino vs. Kankuro –he didn't forfeit this time- went by during my…transfer-of-information-to-you?

It wasn't a very long fight, though. Shino won, if you wanted to know.

Oh, and just like last time, Naruto slapped Shikamaru's back, making him fall into the arena. I laughed joyously.

_Ahh…just as funny as I remembered._

* * *

**Ino POV**

_I'm so nervous…soon…we'll have to strike._

**_At least try to enjoy Shika and Temari's match. Their banter is hilarious._**

_Nah. Still nervous._

I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt someone touch my hand.

I turned to my right, to see Sai's worried face and hand on top of mine on the armrest. "What are you thinking about?"

Resisting the blood that was trying to find its way up my face, I whispered my answer back to him, not wanting Chouji, who was to my left to hear, regardless of the fact that he was completely absorbed by his best friend's fight.

"I'm worried about…_you know_." I nodded my head over to where the Hokage and "Kazekage" were sitting, referring to our plan of attack.

"We'll be fine, Beautiful. It won't be like it was last time." I was shocked by Sai's genuine words and…odd ability of comforting me so easily.

**_It's hard to think with his thumb rubbing circles on the back of our hand like that…_**

_But still, I'm worried._ I thought back to Sai. Remember my ability? Yeah, I haven't used it too much.

You told me Ted**(14)** was in critical condition last time, right? Sai thought back.

_Yes! The extent of his condition brought even Shika to tears…_

But he didn't have you last time. You're going to be fighting with Chouji, and the others will all have a partner so what happened before won't happen again.

_I just…I just have a really bad feeling Sai-kun._

Try relaxing. My books say stress doesn't do any favors for the skin.

I gave a look to Sai-kun that said, "Seriously?"

He merely chuckled in response. Lightly and shortly though- we're still working on the whole laughing thing.

Beautiful is beautiful. You need to take care of yourself properly. I though you knew that?

I blushed. _So he really __**does **__think I'm pretty…_

_Fine. I do, but-_

But nothing. Just have faith. You can't do anything about it now except be prepared and have faith that we'll succeed, right? Isn't that what you told me?

_I really hate it when people use my own words against me. But, this time, Sai makes me feel better._

_You're right. I shouldn't worry so much. I should just enjoy Temari trying her best to last a long time against Shika. And see her lose. Again._

I felt Sai squeeze my hand once. That's the Ino I know.

_Being in love with him…sometimes, it's bliss._

**_Oh, so you admit it!_**

_I only denied it for a little while!_

**_Whatever…_**

Half paying attention to my friends' battle, I relayed our attack plan to the others in this area in the stadium.

_Ten, don't forget to get your arrows ready when Sasuke vs. Gaara starts. _

**I'll be prepared in time. Don't worry.**

_Karin, have you locked on to the location of the Sound 4?_

**Yeah, but I think the best time to strike would be when we originally planned.**

_Okay, then I won't have to tell Ten. __Saku, what are you going to do about Shisui?_

**I assume that when we spring into action, so will Hana and Shisui, since he knows about the whole future stuff, and I told Hana last night.**

_…Hana? As in, Inuzuka Hana? Where does she fit into all this? I only knew about Shisui…_

**Oh! Hana, Shisui, and Itachi were all teammates. Hana loved Itachi. Itachi sent her a letter last night, telling her to get me to tell her everything, since Shisui had hypnotized her a long time ago to make her have dreams of future events.**

_Oh… __Hina? You ready? Are you going to go fight with Kiba and Akamaru?_

**I'm going to try to get Kankuro to help Kiba, as that is how it was before. It might happen on it's own, though I'm not sure. I'm still kinda weak now, so I might come back to the stands to help spectators evacuate.**

_Good, I don't want you to strain yourself. __Matsuri? What are you planning on doing exactly?_

**When Gaara-kun loses control, I'm going to go after him with Sakura and Naruto-san, who will be chasing Sasuke-san, no doubt. Maybe I can do something to calm him a bit.**

_Alright, but be careful. Who knows how much control he may have._

**I know.**

They're all I can message right now, since Temari was fighting and I don't want to distract her. That'd be-…she'd kill me. _I don't want to die!_

I'm sure you're wondering, but we have an attack plan that involves the Sound Ninja 4.

Have you figured it out yet?

If you guessed the time we strike is when the "Kazekage" revealed himself to be Orochimaru in disguise and the SN4 put up a chakra barrier to leave Orochimaru and Lord Hokage alone when they fought, then you are correct.

Hopefully, the moment the SN4 set foot on the roof of the spectator building Lord Hokage and Orochimaru will fight on, Tenten will use her 100% accuracy to shoot arrows at each of the SN4's hands, stopping them from putting up the barrier, and the separate all the members, engaging them in a fight.

I will drag Chouji with me to fight Jirobou again. Hinata will take Kiba to Sakon and Ukon, Temari drags Shikamaru to Tayuya, and Tenten and Neji to Kidomaru. I'm not sure what Shisui's doing. Helping the villagers out of the arena? Helping Sai? Don't know, don't care as long as it helps us.

They will be fighting together to minimize the damage taken upon each of our fighters. Neji and Chouji were in critical condition last time, and we don't want that to happen again.

With the barrier gone, Lord Hokage and Orochimaru will have an open battle, and therefore, a chance for someone to interfere. We know we can't stop Lord Hokage from dying, like Itachi said, but we at least want to _try _to bring Orochimaru down, or make him extremely weak when he flees.

Meanwhile, Matsuri and Team 7 (minus Sai and Kakashi) will go after Gaara into the woods, to calm him and battle Sound and Sand ninja long the way.

Sai, however, will be using the commotion and absence of Danzo in ROOT to snoop for any files and proof he can find about the Uchiha Massacre and the surgeries Orochimaru performed on Danzo to implant the eyes of the Uchiha clan on his arm. (Obviously, since Shisui has both of his eyes, Danzo, instead of 2 eyes, has on and an eye patch because he thought Shisui would die and he'd take an eye)

Hinata, as she told me, will likely come back to help the civilians evacuate the stadium.

If all goes well, Shisui might assist Lord Hokage, but might not, since this is isn't his fight and Lord Hokage will die anyway, for sure. No more casualties are needed.

And that's the plan.

"…since Nara Shikamaru has forfeited, Temari of the Sand will proceed to the next round!" _He still forfeited huh? Should've known. Temari's so pissed at him…_

I giggled.

I felt something squeeze my hand and looked down to find Sai's hand again, remembering that Sai had never let go.

We're in this together, aren't we Ino?

I nodded, letting a sweet smile come to my lips and nodded, thinking back to my love, _Yes, we are in this together._

I didn't notice Chouji looking at me from the corner of his eye, as well as Sakura. However, unlike Sakura who smiled softly, Chouji's eye narrowed.

* * *

**(1): An actual Sand ninja from the series but he's very minor. I'm changing his age to 14, since he was older, I believe.  
****(2): Another Sand nin from the series, but minor, but a little less than Ittetsu. Instead of making her a fangirl like she was, she's going to be Matsuri's friend and teammate. She and Ittetsu are slowly becoming friends w/ the SS, though they're still afraid of Gaara. The two will be minor in the story, I just wanted to introduce them so when they were mentioned, you weren't confused.  
****(3): My sister and I, when we talked about anime and made up little fanfics we could write about them, Matsuri always had cooked the SS delicious cookies that they'd kill for. Well, Gaara probably would. And if you remember from the scroll, she lives with them now. She usually cooks rather than Temari since she doesn't like to. Matsuri has a close relationship, but Gaara's just a little less to kill her than Temari and Kankuro, not understand close bonds yet. Yes, they kissed in the future. This is a GaaMatsu, too people.  
(4): I hated that she was a fangirl during the Gaara Rescue Arc. Not a bad one, but she was nonetheless. Her outfit's the one from part one. For those of you who don't know her very well, see the her filler arc when she become Gaara's student around the end of Naruto Part 1.**  
**(5): Remember Konohamaru tried to show Naruto a shortcut to the stadium, but the two ended up being chased by bulls? That happened here.**  
**(6): In my sister and I's little made up stories (we call it "plot" for obvious reasons), Matsuri was also a writer. She wrote a novel series, and an auto-bio. Karin's a secret photographer by the way.**  
**(7): Despite popular belief, Matsuri's actually **OLDER** than Gaara. Her actual birth date was never revealed, however. I don't think I'll need it for th story, but I think I'll make one up.**  
**(8): No worries - Gekko Hayate IS alive, just hospitalized from Baki's attempt at killing him, though Hayate doesn't know it was him. You'll later find out who saved him. Therefore, Genma is the proctor for the Finals. I didn't Hayate to die, and I didn't want him to leave his fiancee, the ANBU Uzuki Yugao, thirsting for revenge like in the series.**  
**(9): A random character I made up. Mikoto, Fugaku, and Shisui are all alive as you can see, if you don't remember. I'm not sure if I'll keep Garuto, Shisui's made up father and team captain, alive though. You know what? Let's pretend he died in the Massacre. I know I said he survived it, but I don't know what to do with him and I don't like him, so he's dead now.**  
**(10): Sai's nickname for Neji - "Girly Boy". Yes, it was inspired by Nagi from Shugo Chara. (Love you Nagi! But I love Ikuto more!) I swear, if I owned SC, Nadeshiko would exist, since Tadase's lonely and they'd make a cute couple. And just for freaking convenience.**  
**(11): Hanabi's actually like 7, but I want her to be older. Same for Konohamaru Corps. They're all about 9, and when Hanabi graduates, she'll be an added member of Team Ebisu. So they'll be a quartet now, and if I ever write it, it'll be MoegixUdon, HanabixKonohamaru.**  
**(12): Karin = perfume.**  
**(13): See next chapter.**  
**(14): Sai's nickname for Chouji = Teddy Bear, since he knows not to call him fat and Chouji's sweet. Ted for short.  
**

**CHECK NEXT CHAPTER!**

**AND REVIEW!**

**AND REVIEW ACM!**

**Bye! Love you all! See you when I get back! **

**Happy early birthday to me and my sis!**

**And Merry early Christmas!**

**And happy early New Year!**


	19. Finals Part 2: Into the Fray

_**READ READ READ READ READ READ READ**_

I'm not going to update til I get back, so expect the next chapter around Jan. 3rd or so.

I'm thinking of posting my other Time Traveling fic, the one where instead of landing at the Preliminaries, but on Team Selection Day. There's quite a few differences in plot to this one.

I'm going to write a new story similar to Nicola19's "Visions of the Future". I have her permission to write it.

But, the reasons for Sakura's visions are different, she's not the only one with them, more couples, and other things. I'll try to add a bit of angst. Do you want me to write it? Let me know.

Oh, and you guys get to chose the name of Tenten's kitten: Chairo (brown), Kuri (chestnut), or Ryuga (the dragon). Tell me through your reviews and Pms, but perferably reviews. When I come back, the name with the most reviews will be the kitten's name.

And you also get to chose the name of Ino's puppy and Matsuri's puppy. I will pick the one I like most unless I come up with one on my own.

Like I promised, though the last chapter was long, the next ones are much shorter. like 1-3k. I'll try to keep the rest like that.

Also, in my other Time Travel story, Sakura is throwing Sasuke a secret b-day party, and the ones invited are the Uchihas, their close family friends, and Team 7. But I don't know what Naruto should get Sasuke. No idea. Kakashi, too, but I'll think if something if I need to. I have Sai's figured , ideas for Naruto?

So, I have polls for you guys:

**1. The name of Tenten's kitten.**

**2. Naruto's b-day present for Sasuke.**

3. The name of the other kittens.

4. If you want me to post my new 2 stories.

But the first two are most important, which is why they're bolded.

HEADS UP: The next chapter will cue the beginning of the SN4 invasion. The chapter after will be the first fight, so I'm watching the SN4 eps over again so I can write them.

HEADS UP AGAIN: I'll put "on Hiatus" for Do-Over till I get back.

Wish me luck and look forward to it!

Happy early birthday to me and my sis!

Merry early Christmas, guys!

Happy early New Year's!

And happy early Hanukkah for those who celebrate it!


	20. Chapter 20: The Battles Part 1

**Saturday, January 26th, 2013.**

******I told you all I'd update today! I _literally_ just finished writing this chapter. **

**Because of that, it's not as well written as some of the other chapters. Well, that and coupled with the fact that I suck with writing fight scenes, and there's not a lot in this chapter. I mean, it's completely a fighting scene or two, but it's just-...I'm just confusing myself. Nevermind.**

****Dedication:_aalc95. _**She's awesome. Period.**

Disclaimer:** Karin. Why? 'Cause I feel like it.**

**Karin: *Sigh* If EOC owned Naruto, we'd know what the hell I was doing and what...Sasuke is doing. Oh, and apparently I'd have a love life with-..with-...fuck this cue-card! _SUIGETSU_?! **

**Me: Yes. Now read on lovelies! And reviews.**

**First up: Chouji and Ino!**

**I HAVE SOMETHING YOU ALL HAVE TO KNOW AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE! READ AFTER READING CHAPTER!**

* * *

Chapter 20: The Battles Part 1

**Ino POV**

"Come on, Chouji! We gotta' hustle!" I yelled back to Chouji as I practically dragged him with me across the arena to reach the top of the arena's sitting area's roof to where the SN4 were last spotted. Chances are, they tried to run, and headed to the ground, behind the stadium itself, which is where we're headed.

"What? Ino, 'hustle'? Really? Wait! What the hell's going on!?" I was surprised Chou decided to focus on my vocabulary first of all things, but was then jerked back when he stopped abruptly, standing his ground.

When he's like this, you'd either need REALLY good food (especially barbeque or barbeque-flavored potato chips; even better, the last chip) or…well, you'd have better luck pushing a boulder.

That's 20 times your size.

I sighed. "_What_ Chouji? We gotta get going! Now!" I was little jumping on my feet, preparing to sprint the moment I saw Chouji was going to move. _Kinda in a hurry here!_

"No!"

"_No?_"

"Not until you tell me what's going on, Ino! What are you girls all doing!?" Chouji looked so confused…and scared.

_Man. Now I feel horrible. Sorry…_

I softened, finally realizing how terribly scared my childhood-friend-near-brother was, not knowing what was happening.

"Temari, Karin, and us girls – with Sai-kun, of course – devised a plan to attack and take care of a group of Sound Ninja who are some of Orochimaru's top ninja guards, called the 'Sound Ninja 4'.

"Temari had heard, the last time she saw him personally, her father talking with Orochimaru about the Invasion, but she didn't want to tell you guys so you didn't worry or freak out and ruin the plan. You had enough to worry about.

"Luckily for us, Karin, in her time before with Orochimaru, knew who the SN4 were and their strengths and weaknesses. Using that, we devised a plan to decide whom would fight whom, based on their strength. Sasuke and Naruto were purposely left out since they needed all their strength for their fights; and just in case Sasuke encounters Gaara and stalls him until Naruto gets there.

"Karin knew they specialized in setting up a near-impenetrable barrier that she figured they'd use it to keep Orochimaru's assassination of Lord Hokage private. Remember we told you that's what he was planning with the Invasion? With Temari, she figured out approximately just _when_ they'd try to set it up, and Tenten shot their hands as they started signing the jutsu with multiple arrows on her bow.

"Chouji, you and I are chasing one of the four. Get it now? Please say yes – we're in a hurry. Or, I am at least."

After I said that, I took a couple deep breaths – I said that pretty quickly.

Luckily for me, Chouji is used to me doing that so he understood.

He looked at me for a minute. Then sighed and – surprisingly – hugged me.

"You could have told us, Ino. Told Shikamaru. You know how he is with strategizing."

I hugged my friend back. "We know, sorry Chou. But Temari's almost just as good as Shika at that, you know."

"I guess." He pulled away, took a deep breath, then another, and shook himself like a dog.

"Alright. Let's go!"

And I raced ahead of him.

* * *

Moments later, Chouji asked, "Who're we chasing? What's he like?"

"'He'? The ninja may be a girl, Chouji. Don't be so sexist!"

"S-sorry, Ino…it's just-…you know-"

"-I'm kidding, Chou."

"Oh."

"He _is_ a guy. His name's Jirobo. He's big, with brown eyes and orange hair. All the SN4 have a curse mark, like Sasuke, but unlike Sasuke, he can control it. According to Karin, there's a 'Second Stage' of the curse mark, transforming the host into looking like some sort of humanoid demon, but it's different as far as details go for everyone. However, for all, their eyes are yellow where the pupil and iris should be (possibly with a shape in place of the pupil) and around it, black. The Second Stage makes the host about 10x stronger or even stronger than that than in the 1st stage of the curse mark, which is when the curse is coursing around their body. Remember when black marks were covering Sasuke in the Forest of Death? That's the 1st stage."

"…Well. What abilities does he have?"

"We didn't have too much, but we know he's very strong physically strong, not particularly fast, but faster than you'd think he'd be with that size; and specializing in Earth Style jutsu (doton) and chakra sucking, feeding on it almost like food. He can suck it out of you and absorb it for himself. Very dangerous."

Finally, we landed behind the other side of the arena, where we had suspected the SN4 would be after Tenten shot their hands.

But no one was around. Not a trace of anything.

"…Was Jirobo supposed to be here?"

I shook my head. "Either here or the forest, since it's so close. Come on. We better catch up. Can't let him get away."

As we were jumping through the trees, Chouji asked me, "So, who are the other Sound Ninja 4 and who are they being fought by?"

"Tenten & Neji vs. Kidomaru; Temari & Shikamaru vs. Tayuya, & Kiba, Kankuro, and possibly Hinata (but likely temporarily with her injuries) vs. Sakon and Ukon, Sakon's younger brother who is carried on Sakon's back."

"…Creepy."

"Definitely."

"Ino?"

"Yeah?" I answered him, scanning ahead for any signs for Jirobo. _I think we might be getting close to him…he didn't have the time to get too far ahead._

"What's Sai doing? I mean, he was part of this planning, right? It'd only be fair to be included in the actual plan right?"

I sighed. _I should've known he'd ask that._

"Look. I know you guys – pointedly you and Shikamaru – don't trust Sai-kun, but I believe in him and trust him. Sai isn't going to engage with the SN4 like us – he has his own mission."

"And that is?"

"Can't tell you."

"Why not? We tell each other everything don't we? Did he even tell you what he was doing?"

Starting to get angry, I took a deep breath through my nose.

**_Geez, lighten up Chou._**

"Yes, he did, because I was the one who came up with his part, as well as Sakura and himself. It's a private thing Chouji –and very personal to him. That's why-"

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Chouji and I whipped to the voice that cut me off.

It was low and very obviously male. _He's here!_

"I don't know who you Konoha kids are, but you got in the way of us, and therefore in the way of Lord Orochimaru. For that, I will have to kill you."

Jirobo jumped from his hiding spot on a thick branch above us and onto the ground, looking at us from below, a creepy smirk encroaching upon his face.

"It's been _so_ long since my last meal. Itadakimasu. **(1)**"

With that, he launch up toward the branch Chouji and I were frozen on.

* * *

**Karin POV**

"Is this how you treat an old friend, Karin? I would have thought I taught you better." Kabuto said.

"You were never a friend of mine, and you taught me nothing, Kabuto." I spit out his name like it was poison in my mouth, which it may as well had been.

_Damn. Does this guy tire at all? He hadn't broken a sweat at all yet! But then again, it's only a few moments into the battle…but his ease while dodging still me pisses me off._

"Really? Who taught you medical ninjutsu, then? How to harness your powers? How to use a scalpel for multiple purposes?" The ass went on. "How to paralyze a grown man using only a vein? Have I really taught you nothing?"

I decided not to answer. Unfortunately, he was telling the truth.

In this time, I was kidnapped by Orochimaru the first time when I had just turned 7. I ran away back to Grass when I was 11, and I'm 13 now. Orochimaru had tried to kidnap me again in the Chunin Exams, in the Forest of Death. Luckily for me, Anko was there and I got away.

"Giving me the cold shoulder now? I'm hurt – I thought we had bonded all those years." He had a smile on his face that made me want to drag it all around the arena that we were fighting in. The same arena that had held…Sasuke and Gaara's fight only moments before everything erupted into chaos.

"Well you were mistaken." Kabuto, finally beginning to fight back – _good, that means he finds me enough of a threat to fight back! Now all I have to do is kick his ass and hope it stays kicked; stupid regeneration abilities_ – aimed to fingers to my shoulder, and I had barely dodged it, not expecting it.

_Oh, right! Kabuto can hit nervous points in your body, rendering that part of the body numb and useless! The human nervous system equivalent of the Jyuuken, essentially. But he only uses that when he wants to get things over with…_

I narrowed my eyes, and kicked Kabuto in the gut, sending him across the ground away from me a few yards.

_That means he must want to get back to Orochimaru quickly. _

I smirked, charging toward Kabuto as he stood back up, a fist at the ready.

_Sorry, but that ain't happenin', Kabu-freak! I'm beating you once and for all – you aren't going back to Orochimaru if I have anything to say about it!_

_Maybe Suigetsu's influence is rubbing off on me. I mean, Kabu-freak? Really, me? I can do so much better…_

* * *

**Ino POV**

_Man…this guy really is tough! His physical strength is unbelievable!_

In only the past maybe 15 minutes, Jirobo had toppled the tree Chouji and I were on, flew us across the forest floor like rag dolls, evaded my Mind Transfer Technique – apparently he had faced a Yamanaka before; damn – trapped us in the same dome Shika was trapped in with Kiba, Naruto, Neji, and Chouji in the other future. Thankfully, Shikamaru had told me all about it, so I used his same plan to get us out of the dome.

However, it was apparent that Jirobo was getting annoyed –he activated his Curse Mark, his speech about his new strength was included.

On the bright side, we weren't large enough threats for him to go 2nd-Level-Curse-Form on us. _We need to step up our game. This time, I'm going to get inside his head, I'm not letting him get away._

_"Chouji!"_ I thought to my friend.

Yeah? Got a plan? He replied.

_"Yeah,"_ I thought back. _"I need you to use your Human Tank technique to corner him against a tree long enough for me to get inside his head. You don't even have to hit him – just closed off! I'll lure him over to that huge tree over there, and that's your cue to use you technique to keep him there long enough for me to use my Mind Transfer Jutsu. I might not even get into his head but either way, you use your Human Tank technique."_

But what about your body? I dodged some kunai Jirobo threw, and threw a couple shuriken back.

I'm _so_ glad he doesn't know about my telepathy.

_"If I do go into his body, my Inner will take it over and fight while I'm in Jirobo. If I get into him in time, hit him. In fact, when you use your technique, wrap Kunai around you, like Asuma-sensei taught you. I'll jump out fast enough for me not to get hurt and jump back in while Jirobo's trying to get back up. I'll try to find his weakness and then we'll beat him, okay?'_

This is really dangerous, Ino. You could get hurt! I shot a meaningful look to my friend, who was trying to avoid Jirobo's fists, which were must stronger than before now that he's using his curse mark.

"Pathetic, this is hardly worth my time. Aren't you going to show me what Konoha's got to show for itself?"

This angered me. "You ain't seen nothin' yet, FATASS!"

_"I wasn't talking to you by the way. And yes, I'll get hurt sometime in this fight, and so will you, and so will Jirobo. What's a good battle without a couple bruises?"_

But Ino-

_"No, 'but Ino''s Mister. We aren't just fighting for ourselves, we're fighting for our friends, our kage, our village, and our people. We need to show them that we're capable of becoming ninja to be proud of and show this Jirobo guy what Konoha's __**really**__ made of. And that's not going to happen without some wouds here and there. We can't be afraid to get hurt Chouji, and you guys, meaning the team, too, can't focus on keeping me unharmed, because I'm going to get hurt regardless and get stronger from it._

_Understand?_

…Alright, I get you Ino. But you didn't have to go all wise-woman on me, you know.

That brought a smile to my lips. _That's the Chouji I know._

"What's to smile about, princess? Happy you'll die with your friend, here?"

I turned to our opponent and charged. "More like planning to enjoy kicking your ass! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Two clones "poofed" into existence on either side of me, and together, we rained an onslaught of fists and legs and feet upon Jirobo, backing him up and hardly giving him any time to do anything but defend himself.

Soon, he was nearing the giant tree I needed him to be against, and my clones and I jumped above his head to stick ourselves by the soles of our feet using chakra to the trunk of the tree, watching Jirobo's confused face from above.

"Wha-what?!"

"Now, Chouji!"

"_Spiked Human Bullet Tank!"_

And Chouji came rolling toward Jirobo.

He looked startled for a moment, but then he smirked and began to raise his hands.

_Oh, no you don't, Sumo Man!_

I pulled 2 kunai from my pouch and threw each at one part of his forearm, a place where it'd render his arms numb for a short amount of time.

_Now he can't defend himself!_

"AGGHHH!" Jirobo's agonized scream as he was crushed and cut by Chouji and his kunai almost made me smirk.

Even though I didn't get into Jirobou's head as planned because I decided to change it and barricade him instead (I told Chouji as I fought Jirobou so he wasn't confused), the plan still worked.

_Eh, strategizing might not be my thing, but I think I picked up a thing or two form Shika, so I can do something. It's still his job though; I'll do it if I have to._

I jumped down and dispersed my clone. "Is he unconscious?" I asked Chouji, standing in front of him.

Since Chouji had stopped spinning by now, he poked his head out from the top of his still enlarged body and looked down, though I doubted he could see past his stomach.

"Judging by the blood on the kunai, I'd think so. I can't feel him struggling either."

Chouji shrunk and stepped out of the crater he created.

As the smoke cleared, Chouji caught his breath. _I doubt Jirobo's done with now, so if the necessary, I'll use my chakra scalpels to fight him, which is why I need to preserve my chakra and strength._

Finally, the smoke cleared, and Jirobo, in the middle of it, laid eyes closed but the Curse Markings were still there.

_If they're still there, that means…_

Suddenly, he smirked and Chouji gasped.

"W-what? Why a-are you g-g-getting up!?" My friend sputtered.

"I knew it. That wasn't enough." I said. **_DAMN that bastard! We'll show him the power of us – Ino Yamanaka!_**

_That much is certain, Inner._

Slowly, Jirobo sat up. "I'll admit I underestimated you guys – that attack was stronger than I anticipated, though obviously amateurish."

I scowled. **_Amateurish, huh? I'll show you amateurish!_**

However, when I took another look at Jirobou, the blood drained from my face.

Chouji's breathing increased rapidly, and my heartbeat followed.

"So let's get this party _really_ started, shall we?"

Jirobo had activated his 2nd Stage of the Curse Seal.

* * *

**(1):** "Thanks for the meal". It's a Japanese tradition to say it before eating.

**So yeah, I keep alternating between "u" and no "u" for Jirobo's name, but that's because the real letters name isn't an English letter, and therefore not on my computer. Here's the real spelling of Jirobou's name: "****Jirōbō". **

******HEY LOOK HERE!********:**

********  
I'll be updating every two weeks and try to keep that schedule. That should give me enough time to write a chapter or two. At the same time, I'll be updating ReWind every two weeks as well, but the opposite weeks of DoOver. Therefore, something is updated every week.

Example: **Week 1 - DoOver. Week 2 - ReWind. Week 3 - DoOver. Week 4 - ReWind.**

So 2 weeks for the same story, every week for a different story.

What does this mean? ReWind's getting updated next week!

Everyone okay with this system?

**You all can still vote for Sasuke's presents, you know.**

**Also, like I said in the author's notes, I think ReWind's going better than DoOver, with more room for character development. Sadly, the really good stuff that I have for it aren't coming for a while. Sorry ReWind lovers.**

**I have some future romance planned for this story, too, you know. But I have to focus on the SN4 battles.**

**Oh, and Ino & Chouji vs. ****Jirōbō, and Karin vs. Kabuto will end in the next chapter, if all goes as planned. The chapter after that will show 1 or 2 more battles.**

**Until 2 weeks from now for DoOver readers, and 1 week from now for ReWind and DoOver followers!**

Love,

**Epic Otaku Cherry**


	21. Chapter 21: Arachnids

**Saturday, February 9th, 2013.**

Birthdays: **  
_Feb 4th:_ Dino Cavallone, KHR.  
_Yesterday, Feb 8th:_ 3rd Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.  
_Today, Feb 9th:_ Dr. Shamal, KHR.  
_Tomorrow, Feb 10th:_ Obito Uchiha.  
_Feb 18th:_ Suigetsu Hozuki.  
_Feb 20th:_ Konan, Yahiko, and Lal Mirch from KHR.  
_Feb 24th:_ Shikaku Nara.**

**Quite interesting, huh? Lal, Konan, & Yahiko all have the same birthday. And tomorrow's is Obito's, and yesterday was the 3rd's.**

**Has anyone read the latest Naruto chap? What an awesome chap. Hilarious. and the love theory, I realized it about Sasuke on my own almost a couple years back, and then "Tobi" some months ago, but I didn't know it applied to anyone else, too.**

**So yeah, I updated!**

**When writing the chapter, there's spiders in it. For NejiTen. **

**I have arachnophobia. Writing this chapter wasn't 100% fun. I loved writing Neji and Tenten, but the spiders...surprisingly, it didn't give me nightmares, though I wrote most of it at night. I got a nightmare Thursday night (I wrote the chapter yesterday and Thursday night) but it wasn't about spiders. It was something that would have been much more frightening for other people, but I was relieved it wasn't spiders.**

**So yeah. I say "so yeah" often, don't I?**

**I **was** thinking of continuing Karin, Ino, and Chouji's fights while adding the beginning of Neji and Tenten's in this chap, but Neji and Tenten ending up being so long, I decided to make it one chapter on its own. I'll continue the fights in the next chap.**

Dedication: _yeahthat'sme_**, my friend. Please read her writing on TeenInk . com! She's a 100 times better than me!**

Disclaimer:** Since today's Dr. Shamal's birthday (from KHR), he'll do it. I know he isn't a Naruto character, but I don't feel like the 3rd should do it this time, nor Obito.**

**Shamal: What? I have pretty girls to...go back to.**

**Me: Do your disclaimer, and I assure you you'll only have beautiful, _female_ patients to work on for the next 2 weeks.**

**Shamal:...as long as I don't have to treat men, fine. Cherry doesn't own Naruto, KHR, Devil May Cry, One Piece, Halo, nor Kingdom Hearts. She does own an Xbox that she hasn't even opened yet, though.**

**Me: Thank you.**

**Shamal: Your welcome. Because you're a girl, I was willing to do this. Bye.**

**By the way guys, if you haven't seen/read KHR or haven't gotten to him yet, Dr. Shamal's a male doctor that hates to treat men. He's a ladies' man.**

**Enjoy!**

**Yes, it's about Neji and Tenten today. I hope you guys love the NejiTen!**

* * *

Chapter 21: Arachnids

**Tenten POV**

"Tenten! Tenten!" I ignored Neji, continuing to grip his hand firmly, almost dragging him toward the only route our (my) target could have taken – in the forest.

"_Tenten!_" Suddenly, I was jerked back. _Wha…!_

Neji spun me to face him, his hand painfully gripping my shoulder to keep me still.

His glare froze me for a moment. _Uh-oh…he's pissed._

"_What_ is going on here, _Tenten_?" One look at his expression told me he wasn't moving until he got a satisfactory explanation.

Hurriedly, I spoke fast, telling him what was going on but not able to control the speed of my speech. I could only hope he understood me. _W-what's wrong with me?_

"ThegirlsandIdevisedaplantode featsomeofOrochimaru'slackeysthatweregoingtoassis tOrochimaruinkillingtheThird byputtingupabarriersobyshoot ingtheirhandsIstoppedthemfro mcreatingthemandforcedthemto scatterandweallranafterourde signatdedtargets(byTemari,Sakura,andKarin)andwe're/I'mchasingafterours."

Even after finishing, I couldn't relax; my blood was pumping quickly, I was breathing quickly, I was sweating, and my fingers twitched and wouldn't still.

I couldn't even **stand** still, shifting from foot to foot constantly, knowing it'd only make Neji angrier, and I was getting more…whatever this is by the second.

_I don't understand what's wrong with me!_

After a couple moments –or was it even one? I can't tell anymore!– Neji pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, then sighed, and took my twitching hands in his.

I was so wired up I couldn't even let myself blush at the action, as he soothingly rubbed my fingers, somehow calming me down.

"Relax…what are you so jittery for? Is our opponent that strong?" Now that I had more reign over my emotions and body, my eyes softened at Neji's rarely-shown soft side.

_I'm glad I get to see this softer, more caring part of Neji._

"Honestly, I don't know why I'm acting like this. I know we can beat him together – I know it! But maybe what I was feeling _was_ fear…but for what?" I muttered the last part to myself, trying to find a way to explain my body's earlier reaction to…whatever.

Neji's eyes narrowed, but before I could ask why, I saw something that made my heart stop, then start up again just like before.

On the giant tree next to us, less than a yard away…was an enormous spider, about 1 meter long and half a meter wide, legs and all. It was black, slightly hairy, with yellow designs on it, its pincers snapping together, looking down at us.**(1)**

I froze in fear. _No…no…not this! PLEASE!_

I couldn't do anything but shake in absolute terror.

I stood and stared at the creature as my heart rate rose and rose and my body started twitching again like before, my breath speeding up.

I couldn't think.

Suddenly, I felt something on my shoulder push me back and something white and brown come into my view, another white and brown blur catching me as I fell back, pulling me into warmth. It murmured into my ear, "Shh, shh…it's okay now, Tenten…it's okay."

I buried myself in the warmth, to slowly realize it was a body. I dug my head under his (seems male) chest, trembling and wrapping my arms around him, trying to hold back my tears.

As he adjusted us so I was sitting between his legs and wrapped his arms around me, I recognized the cologne he was wearing.

"N-n-ne-j-ji…"

I felt a presence come next to us, and Neji looked up to it and nodded, and the presence disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Calming down my mind slowly began to clear – but only a little bit. _Neji made a clone to kill…it._

Neji rested his cheek against my head and slowly rocked me. "It's okay to cry, Tenten. My clone killed it and disposed of the body. I know that was terrifying for you," he whispered.

As if on cue, sobs racked through my body, and I let them all out, finally finding release from one of my biggest fears.

_Sp-sp-spiders…I almost forgot I had arachnophobia…_

As Neji held me in his arms, slowly rocking me while I cried, I couldn't help but remember when my fear had gotten so terrible…

* * *

**_FLASHBACK:_**

_I had always been afraid of spiders. That's a fact. As Neji might've said before, I was just "fated" to be frightened of them forever. _

_I wouldn't have argued. _

_Besides, when I had Naruto (while I was in the orphanage), Lee, Neji, and now Gai-sensei to kill them for me, who was I to complain?_

_Right now I was eating lunch in my apartment with Neji. It was just the two of us, 3 weeks after the failed retrieval mission of Sasuke and 3 days after Neji was finally discharged from the hospital. Lee had physical therapy with Gai so he didn't come._

_I had finished my plate of pizza and placed the plate in the sink, licking my fingers. _

_"I'm going to get the new games from my room, 'kay Neji-kun?" _

_"Hn."_

_We decided we'd spend the day together, and I was eager to be with him more. I had almost lost my best friend and crush just weeks ago. The more of him I got, the better._

_For the afternoon, since Neji couldn't do anything too strenuous, we decided we'd play video games on my Xbox. I had bought the latest Halo (4) game as well as a Kingdom Hearts and Devil May Cry game on discount a month ago, but hadn't played any of them yet. **(2)**_

_I entered my room and looked at my bookshelf, where I kept music CDs, movies, books, manga, and games, and pulled the three aforementioned games from the shelf, looking them over._

_"Hmm…which one first?" I looked at all of them, but couldn't decide. "Maybe I should just bring all of the-"_

_My heart was caught on my throat. _

_In front of me, was a brown and white spider about the size of my palm on the wall._

_Next thing I knew, I was on my bed at the other side of relatively small bedroom, shrieking, "Neji! Neji! _**Neji**!"

_He burst into the room, to see me crying on my bed and frantically pointing to something behind him._

_Seeing what I was pointing at, he quickly grabbed a tissue from a conveniently-close tissue box, and trapped the spider in it, bringing the bundle closer to his person. Then, he crushed it with his hands.  
__He knew I wouldn't like to see arachnid guts on my wall._

_He left to my bathroom, and I heard a flushing noise. A thorough disposal of the carcass._

_He came back and climbed on the bed, pulling my trembling and silently crying body into his arms._

_He winced when I frantically and tightly wrapped my arms around him, so I loosened my grip, remembering he was still recovering._

_After I calmed, he spoke. "You've always been afraid , but not this afraid. What happened?"_

_I found it difficult to speak. I was just getting out of my frightened-child mode – it only happens when I am beyond terrified of something. Very rare. _

_But it has never happened over a spider barely the size of my palm. _My hands aren't even that big! They're a little small, really; at least compared to Neji and Lee,_ I thought._

_But after the rescue mission, and hearing about it from both Neji and Shikamaru and the others, maybe…_

_"Was it because of…who I fought? Did he make your fear grow?"_

_Surprised at the soft tone of my crush, I looked into his eyes. Looking into them, it hit me._

He's right.

Neji was right.

_Kidomaru __**had**__ made my fears of spiders even worse, him being part spider and "kido" meaning spider. _

_The fact that a spider-man (I have to look away every time I see a spider in the movie, and that includes the one on Spider Man's back) had nearly killed Neji, nearly took him away from me, scared me. It scared me so much. I hate him so much._

_Now, I had 2 big fears – losing my best friend, and #2; spiders._

Curse you to the fiery pits of hell, Kidomaru.

_I nodded into Neji's eyes, and rested my head against his chest softly, as he pushed us down unto my pillows and under my blankets._

_"Sleep. You and I both need it. I'll be here, Tenten. You won't need to be afraid…I'll protect you…"_

_The two of us drifted off at the sound of each other's breathing, video games on the floor, forgotten._

**_END OF FLASHBACK_**

* * *

After the retrieval mission, my fear had escalated to the point where I was sometimes virtually useless in a fight with a giant spider. I was getting better as far as reaction went, but I was so caught off guard today, I couldn't even move.

This memory also explained my body's earlier jitteriness – I knew we were facing Kidomaru. The man who had almost killed my best friend, and was a spider-man. I was terrified of facing him. _He gives Spider Man a bad name._

Suddenly, a random thought came to me, lightening up my mood enough to calm my body down from my shivers. _Thank God there hasn't been a Zoan type Devil Fruit in One Piece __**(3) **__that turned the eater into a spider person. That'd be awful._

"Tenten?" Neji's voice forced me to remember we had a mission to complete, and we couldn't let our target get away.  
Who knows how much time has passed?

I shakily wiped my eyes of my tears, standing up. Neji stood as well.

However, I continued to lean against his chest and he continued to hold me.

I looked up into my love's eyes. "I guess my fear escalated as time passed." My voice wasn't as steady as hoped, but it would have to do.

Neji looked a bit skeptical, but decided to let it go.

I stepped back a bit and grabbed Neji's hand, craving contact still.

"Our opponent-…our opponent is a teen, our age, 14.**(4)** His name is K-kidomaru." I closed my eyes, fearing Neji's definite angry reaction.

He nearly exploded.

"**_Kido_**maru?! Why the HELL would you be willing to fight a man who has the word _spider_ in his name?! What? Does he have 8 limbs and shoot spiderwebs too!" He was furious, but it made me feel better to know it was because of his worry for me and the chances of the two of us beating this guy.

"Yes." I muttered silently, at the 2 rhetorical questions Neji asked.

"_Yes_?! **Tenten**!" Now he was even angrier. "How do you plan on fighting him! Are you insane?"

"We're the only ones that can fight him, Neji! His webs can only be cut by chakra, and is resistant to almost anything else! Together, seeing the state you're in, only we can beat him! I've been over this a thousand times with Karin, Sakura and Temari!" I yelled back. _If I can't convince him, he'll never fight with me!_

"And what? Do you plan on freezing up again at the site of him? Chances are, he has spider summons and spiders listen to him. Do you plan on freezing up again on the battlefield, then?! You'll get us both killed!"

A pang of hurt hit my heart, but I pushed it aside. "I'll be strong Neji! I'll do it! We'll win, I promise you that!"

"You can't promise me that-"

"_**Yes I CAN**_!" I shouted that line, silencing Neji. "For you…for you, I can hold myself together enough to fight _him_. What happens after…is undetermined. But we really do need to go now, Neji."

For a couple moments, Neji simply stared at me.

Then, he sighed.

"Do you _really_ want to do this, Ten?" Neji's voice was softer than usual, and I knew I had convinced him.

I smiled softly at him. "Yes. We must, Neji-kun."

He smirked at the suffix I tended to throw around.

"Alright. Let's go. Are you prepared?"

Neji turned and started heading in the direction we were going in before we stopped, twisting around for a moment, to see if I had all my weapons.

I nodded and patted my ninja pouches around my waist and knee.

He grunted back to show he saw, and turned back. _Looks like he reverted back to his normal self._

I smiled to myself, and ran up to him and spun him around.

"Wha-"

I cut him off with a hug.

Hesitantly, he hugged back.

After several seconds, Neji softly asked, "Are you ready to go now?"

"No." I said. Before he could say anything back, I quickly pressed a lingering kiss on his cheek. _Thank you so much, Neji-kun._

Embarrassingly, if was closer to his mouth than I anticipated. About a centimeter away from the corner of his lips. _Maybe one day, I have to guts to kiss his lips instead..._

As I pulled away after a moment or so, both our faces were red. _He's blushing too? Good…_

I smiled at the thought, and starting walking ahead, inwardly giggling at Neji's dazed look, staring into space, not moving from his spot.

"Now I am. Come on, Neji-kun." I spoke. That got him moving.

"Turn your Byakugan – we'll need it."

"Aa."

_Maybe this will go better than I first thought,_ I thought as we soared through the trees of the forest**(5) **in our hunt.

* * *

**(1):** Like I said, I had a nightmare Thursday night, since I wrote that specific part of the chapter right before I went to sleep for school the next day. Probably wasn't the best idea, with arachnophobia and all. Luckily for me, the nightmare was spider-less, but to others, it may have been a thousand times scarier than a spider. As for me, I was merely disgusted, a TEENY bit frightened of the fact that I had that nightmare, and relieved there were no spiders in it.**  
(2): **I don't own Halo 4, Kingdom Hearts, nor Devil May Cry in real life. I'm planning on getting DMC and the Kingdom Hearts series, and possibly Halo later. And yes, Tenten's into video games.**  
(3): **Yes, Tenten's into One Piece. And I'm also glad there isn't such a Devil Fruit. Yet... If you don't know what a DF is, you can ask me via PM or review and I'll tell you.**  
(4): **Yup. I was surprised to learn Kidomaru was 14 when he died, too. Didn't see that coming.**  
(5): ** Like Ino and Chouji, they're in the forest behind the arena. Just a different part.

**I'll be updating ReWind next week, kay?**

**Oh, my school Science Fair is next Friday! I'm in it, with my 2 partners! Wish me luck! This is the one time I was excited for science fair and will probably get something other than a C on the project and a participant's ribbon! I usually HATE SF! I actually really like this one!**

**Maybe we'll go to SARSEF! (Southern Arizona Regional Science E-something Fair, I think)**

**Oh, a senior from my school got accepted into Yale. I think I know another guy who's accepted into another prestigious school like MIT or something but I'm not really sure.**

**OH! Please read my close friend's poems and tribute on TeenInk . com! She's **yeahthat'sme**! Her writing's 100 times better than mine. She has a Pinterest and Polyvore, too. So do I. I'm **epicotakucherry**. (I think. I might have spaces in one of them.)**

**I still have a facebook! Please friend me!**

**Don't forget my friend's poetry!**

**Read and review, and I might update earlier, kay? Maybe add a treat in the next chap of either or both DoOver and Rewind!**

**Sasuke's birthday present in Rewind is still up for debate!**

**NEW POLL QUESTION: **

Should I or should I not add Sora (not from KH. If you don't know who he is, look him up in Narutopedia . com) in ReWind? He's a pseudo-Jinchuriki, and all...and it's too late to add him here, unless you want me to. I probably won't add him in either, but it's just a suggestion.

**REVIEW, LOVES!**


	22. Chapter 22: Desperation & Friends

**Saturday, February 23rd, 2013.**

**Hello, peoples! New chapter! This one's almost 3.5k words. Kinda long, but I REALLY want to get the fights over with cuz I have a lot planned after! Today, Karin and Ino & Chouji's fights are ending. The next chapter will end Tenten & Neji's and start another one. Kay?**

**I don't feel like doing birthdays.**

**Really, I don't.**

Dedication:** my friend **_yeahthat'sme_ **. At least, that's her username on TeenInk. READ HER STUFF! It's awesome! She's 100x better writer than me. Also, **aalc95** and **Jasmine-.-Momo-chan**: this chapter's dedicated to you guys, too. Also, to all you readers, and reviewers. :D**

Disclaimer: **Shikaku-san is going to do it. His birthday is tomorrow, and if you read the last like 10 chapters of the manga, you'd know the second reason.**

**Shikaku: Do you honestly believe EOC own Naruto is she's writing fanfiction about it? And has to put a disclaimer in every chapter?**

**Me: ...**

**Anyway, READ ON, my loves!**

* * *

Chapter 22: Desperation & Friends

* * *

**Ino POV**

"Ch…chouji…" I rasped out.

I coughed, trying to rise myself from the ground, only succeeding into falling onto my torso again.

_Ouch. _The pounding in my head reminded me of the blow Jirobo delivered to me after he transformed.

I tried again to sit up, and I succeeded.

"Chouji! Where are you?" I looked around frantically. _How did Chouji beat him before?!_

After Jirobo had transformed, Chouji immediately took one of the Three Colored Pills, which I didn't know he had. _I wish I knew he had those! And why **does** he have them?! He wasn't in the finals, so why would Choza-san give them to him?**  
**_

I tried to stop him, remembering what they had done to him before. It was fruitless – he was already attempting to push Jirobo into a large tree, their hands locked together.

Chakra was swirling round Chouji, and I had renewed hope that we'd win.

Then, Jirobo overpowered him and threw him into a nearby tree, sending him through them. _Damn! This isn't good..._

He charged me and for a moment, we were locked in a mini-battle of taijutsu. _Don'tgethitdon'tgethitdon'tgethitdon'tgethit..._

Sick of it, he quickly thrust his elbow into my skull, and I heard a crack and felt blood trickle down my face. _Those weird spikes on his arms cut me!_

I had managed to stab a kunai into his stomach, at least. **_YES!_**  
But all it did was irritate him! He pulled it out (wincing, might I add) and threw it away, a tiny blood pool forming at his feet. _**Well, damn.**_

_At least it hurt him._

This bring us to how I ended up on the ground, looking for Chouji: he charged at me again and, without thinking, I had put chakra into my fist and punched him in the gut, just as he punched me in my face.

Good news: the punch sent him flying, and I have yet to see him get up, with the dust swirling. I can't hear him either. **_ It worked!_**

Bad news: There's a reason Sakura punches with chakra and I don't – I'm not as strong as she is, nor do I have such exact chakra control. Don't get me wrong – I have good chakra control, just…*gulp* not as good as Forehead._ I'm NEVER telling her that._  
Therefore, that punch also broke my fist – my knuckles cracked, my wrist twisted slightly, and my fingers broke. Not pleasant. Sakura can handle such punches, and is good at it, which is why she does it. I'm not suited for it, so I don't. I guess after seeing her fight like that for so long, I did it on reflex.

More bad news: Jirobo's punch sent me to the ground too, as you can see. Right now, I'm struggling to walk to where I last saw Chouji, healing myself silently and inwardly with every step I take. **_Thank God for Tsunade, for teaching us that technique before the war!_**

_We totally need to thank her with some high-quality sake when we see her sometime. Remind me._

**_It's added to my "mental" To-Do List!_**

"I-Ino…" I ran toward the voice, finding my childhood friend leaning against a tree.

I immediately sent to healing the most serious and most important parts of him as fast as I could, aware that Jirobo could show up any second.

"Ino? What's that?" I had forgotten Chouji and Shikamaru had never seen me heal before.

"It's medical ninjutsu, Chou. I'm healing you. Now shut up – I need to concentrate."

I also had forgotten that my new, young-again, body hasn't healed anything serious (other than a couple little scrapes) before either, so it was unused to the strain I was putting on it.

**_Shit! Outer, I'm going to try to make our body last as long as possible, so make the battle as short as possible! I mind be available for the Mind Tranfer technique if you use it, but try to stall it as long as possible, kay? Or we're all screwed!_**

_Alright. I don't know how you'll manage to do that, but do the best you can! I'll try to make the battle short._

"Well, well, well. Not a bad punch, girly. I see you're a healer, too. What else do you have up your sleeve?"

_Looks like my healing time is up._

I stood up and turned toward Jirobo -who had come from behind us- , getting into a fighting stance. "If I told you what I was hiding, that would be no fun."

He laughed. "I think I'll have _lots_ of fun killing the both of you. The sooner, the better. No stalling." He almost whispered the last line, already running to us.

"I'm ready, Ino," Chouji said, reaching for his pocket.

I knew what he was going to do. "Chouji, no!"

I tried to snatch the pill capsule, but he held both my hands in a tight grip with one of his, and with the other hand, popped open the capsule and swallowed the yellow pill, leaving the red one the only one left.

"Chouji!" Before I could say anything else, Chouji had pushed me away, onto the ground.

I realized why when Jirobo tackled him. _I had forgotten he was running toward us._

"**I'm going to kill you**!" Jirobo shrieked, his voice inhuman.

For the next couple of minutes –I assume, it felt like hours – the three of us were caught in a flurry of ninjutsu and taijutsu, 2-on-1, trying their best to incapacitate/kill the opposite side.

Finally, Chouji, with his new strength, pinned a slightly weak Jirobo to the ground. _Looks like he's running out of stamina…I guess he could only keep the curse mark for so long._

Even as I looked on, coughing blood, the curse mark began to recede, he only had the marks around his body, rather than completely transformed.

"Hey! Get…off!" Jirobo said, trying to wrestle Chouji off.

"Hurry, Ino!" Chouji said his face straining. "I can't hold him much longer!"

"Got it!" I said. "Ninja art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

I found myself looking up at Chouji, then a I felt a burning sensation around my body. _Must be the curse mark._

With all the strength I had, I forced the mark back into my/Jirobo's shoulder.

Chouji slumped away, exhausted from using the 2 pills. _Luckily, he didn't need all three._

Finally, I raised my/Jirobo's hand high behind my back, swinging it towards a spot near the nape of the neck that would knock the body out for at least 6 hours, with this kind of exhaustion.**(1)**

I released the jutsu, returning to my body, knowing momentum and gravity would continue and finish the job for me. _As Forehead would say, "simple physics"._

Back into my body, my Inner spoke to me again, reminding me it didn't take over our body while it was gone, busy trying to keep my body functioning.

**_Now all we need to do is tie him up._**

_Yeah…_

First, I dragged Chouji to a nearby tree, telling him to rest. The snores right after told me he had no objections.

Then, I grabbed some chakra strings from my ninja pouch and wrapped them all around Jirobo as tightly and swiftly as I could.

Then, with another roll of string, I re-tied him to a tree.

_Now for the flare._

I pulled out a mini flare gun from my pouch, aiming it above the clearing we fought in.

I shot towards the sky, sending a pure violet trail of smoke into the sky.

The girls and I had agreed, that when we finished our battles, and were safe but unable to go to a hospital or move from our location, to shoot a flare gun into the sky, signaling our position.

Temari agreed to (somehow) deliver this message to the sensei. I'm not sure how, honestly. For all I know she could give them slips of paper with our name and designated color (of the flare) and leave it for the sensei to guess what they mean.

_That's probably part of what she did._

Why not flare grenades? They could catch the forest on fire.

Why not flare rockets? Too much work. Pulling a trigger is much easier.

That was what Temari said, by the way. Maybe Shika rubs off on her more than she may admit.

And honestly, guns look **so** much cooler than grenade or rockets. And mini-flare-guns fit in our pouches.

_I wonder how Sai-kun's doing…_

With that as my last thought, I feel into a deep sleep against Chouji's shoulder, snuggling into his warmth.

* * *

**Karin POV**

_I'm __**really**__ getting sick of this bastard regenerating,_ I thought, as I dodged another fist from Kabuto.

Our fight seemed really repetitive, and I hated it.

Punch. Kick. Dodge. Swipe. Jump. Get cut, half the time. Smirk. Regenerate. Swear. Punch again.

A really repetitive cycle. And I felt weak in it; it made it all the more obvious that he was playing with me.

_Why, oh why, couldn't I have trained more in the future?!_

Since my combat experience wasn't very diverse, and certainly not suited to fight someone like Kabuto, I was pretty much going of gut will and instinct rather than planning and focus.

I tried that, and obviously, if I changed tactics, it didn't work.

"Is that all you got, Karin? Seems like Konoha made you soft!" Kabuto taunted.

I tried a roundhouse kick in his direction.

He caught my leg and threw it back down, causing me to stagger and fall, failing to regain my balance.

In that time, he aimed a punch down, knowing I could hardly avoid it, as I was on the ground, on my back. "Where's the ruthless Karin from the labs? The one who didn't take crap from anybody, huh?"

Instead of responding, I focused on pushing myself onto my arms and back, using my strength to use both my legs to kick Kabuto away from me by his stomach.

It worked. I smirked as he coughed blood, flying through the air and landing against the wall of the arena. _Serves him right._

"There we go. That's the Karin I knew." Kabuto said, standing up.

My eyes narrowed. "Stop talking about me as if we were friends."

He sneered. "That's right. You have no friends, do you?"

Uncontrollably, I winced. _Well, it's not like he's wrong._

_But…what about Sakura? And the others?_

_Are they my friends?_

I thought about the time Ino took me to a small garden near the outskirts of the village, where very fragrant flowers were cultivated. With a few with them, I had made a new perfume (yes, I know how to do that) and she made ingredients for a new medicine for Sakura and Hinata to finish for her.

And the time Hinata and Tenten both took me around the village, showing me all the places I have and haven't seen, giving me a full-length and very fun tour. They talked about traditions and festivals and histories and rumors – everything they could that day. Hinata was quite talkative, even.

Temari sparred with me, then the two of us just talked and talked about nothing in particular. We found we were a lot alike in some ways - brutish at times, have a take-no-shit attitude, are quite intelligent to some level, **(2)** have/had an infamous reputation (my reputation as the "Iron Jail Warden" of the Southern Jail,**(3)** and her "Cruelest Kunoichi" reputation)

Matsuri told me all about her writing, and I told her about my hobby with collecting and making perfumes. **(4)** Then, we had dinner from Ichiraku's. It was there that I teased her about her obvious feeling for Gaara. She makes an interesting tomato.

I remembered when Sai came to me, asking about what love felt like for me, and what it felt to be betrayed by that almost-love. I didn't answer. He had told me the basics of his emotionlessness, and I had almost felt sorry for him. But we spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out. He drew, while I watched. It was peaceful. I like peaceful.

Naruto even took me to Ichiraku's with him and Kiba, Chouji, Kakashi, Asuma and Sasuke, who was dragged. He (Naruto) talked all about the times he's eaten here, as well as his history with the owner, Teuchi-san and his daughter, Ayame. To him, they were like the grandpa and sister he never had, as they never refused to feed him regardless of the fact that he held the fox. He asked if I had any family, and I said I was raised an orphan, but have a couple family members around the world. I thought to myself, _I might just tell him someday._**(5)**

Lee had invited me to training with him, his sensei Gai, Neji, and Shino, surprisingly. I simply decided to watch, but we talked after (Lee and I at least). After they learned about my sensory skills, Lee had come up with a game to test it – Shino would hide some of his bugs around the training field, in bushes. Neji and I would have a contest of who would find the most – him using the Byakugan to detect the bugs' chakra, and I would use my sensing skills. I won, and was treated to barbecue. I made sure to come to that eatery again - the food there was delicious.

I ran into Shikamaru while he was cloud-gazing. He told me to stay, saying he hadn't had yet to greet the new member of the now "Konoha 13", as dubbed by the sensei. (Team Asuma, Kakashi, Kurenai and Gai, minus the sensei, not counting Akamaru). We had discovered that we both like to plan things through at least a little bit, not wanting to just go into a battle without thinking. We also both discovered that I wasn't half bad at Shogi, though he still kicked my ass like nobody's business. The compliment helped deal with the defeat. A little bit at least.

Kurenai and Anko had taking me shopping, saying it was time they got to know me a bit, all the while getting some much needed clothes. _"Every girl needs a full closet,"_ Kurenai had said. I hadn't protested, seeing as I didn't have many clothes in the first place. Sometime during the shopping spree, the other Konoha 12/13 girls, excluding Tenten, had joined. (Tenten was training with Neji; Temari and Matsuri were busy.) By the end, I felt I had fulfilled my girlishness quota for the day, regretted shopping with Ino, but felt happy I had done it in the end.

Finally, I thought about the heart-to-heart I had with Sakura soon after I joined the village**(6)**; the day I confessed my feelings about Suigetsu, despite our not-so-great relationship; as well as where my heart is on Sasuke.

I felt I had created a bond with her that night, and since, I haven't felt it break. _I guess I do have friends..._

"Done daydreaming?" Kabuto's voice shook me out my reverie.

"It's too bad you wouldn't agree to serve under Lord Orochimaru again," Kabuto said, slowly walking toward me, cocky. "If you renew your allegiance to him now, I assure you that you'll have a full and plentiful life under Lord Orochimaru, as his secondary medic. Maybe we could even figure out a way to get rid of the bite marks all over your body."

He said the last part on purpose, knowing how much I abhorred the marks on my body. Now, even after leaving Orochimaru, both in the past _and_ future,**(7)** my hatred for these marks rose.

I felt used, dirty, and worthless when I saw them. That's why I started wearing collared and long-sleeved shirts again**(8)** – my marks from the future are showing up on this body. They are much more plentiful than the ones I had already.

But I wasn't going to fall for the bait – I'd rather die than go to Orochimaru again.

And that's just what I told him.

"I'd rather die!" I charged Kabuto, and once again –_damn that bastard!_– we were locked into a battle of who taijutsu, as none of us were not really experts in anything else but medical ninjutsu.

Then, he unexpectedly used his Chakra Scalpel technique. I barely dodged. _Shit! One wrong move and I'm a goner!_

The fake cheeriness in Kabuto's expression was gone, leaving a cold, dare I say it, **scary** 23-year-old**(9)** in front of me, his right hand glowing chakra with the aforementioned jutsu.

"I think it's time we end this, shall we?" I gulped, and forced myself to remain calm. _I can beat him! I lasted this long, didn't I? That says something, right?_

"Yeah." I said. Lucky for me, my voice was far more confident than I hoped. "How about one move to end it?"

Kabuto looked at me, observing me for any deceit.

I assumed he deemed my plan -whatever it may be to him- futile, because he smirked. "I like that idea; one, final, attack. All or nothing. Dramatic."

I took my stance.

He took his. "Here we go!"

We charged each other, our right hands raising.

His, towards my heart. My own towards his gut.

While running, I felt a crack in my ankle, and I staggered, slightly, quickly regaining my balance.

_Fuck! It was already fragile, and now I think I at least _fractured _it! Why **now** of all times for it to crack on me?_

I tried to ignore my other injuries, –a slight concussion, a couple broken ribs, a bleeding back wound, a bruised upper arm, cracked glasses– putting the success of my plan first.

However, I hadn't regained my balance fast enough, as Kabuto's chakra-scalpel-hand cut through my skin and muscle and sliced my ribs -and possibly, my liver- and straight through my back, right through the same slash he had given me with a shuriken earlier.

The only bright side to the situation was that I still managed to sock him in the gut, as weak as the punch was.

I screamed through my pain. _This hurts like a freaking bitch! DAMN HIM TO HELL!_

"Heh," Kabuto snickered, satisfyingly pulling his bloody hand out of my body and stayed standing as I fell onto the ground.

"How foolish you've become, Karin, thinking you can beat me with a single punch. Looks I win." He sneered. "And best of all, I can walk away from here without a scratch, while you bleed to death. What an ending, huh, Karin?"

I smirked as best I could. "That's what you think," I whispered to myself.

Kabuto didn't notice and simply laughed as I laid here on my back, unable to get up again; bleeding out, like he said.

However, he abruptly stopped laughing. "Wha-what? Why can't I heal myself?!" I assume he must have been trying to regenerate while he was laughing at me like the no good asshole he was.

"Looks like it did the job," I said, as I raised a syringe had hidden in my sleeve, into the air. It was void of anything but a few drops of a green liquid.

"W-when did you…" He sputtered.

"Half of it into your neck, when I tried to stab you there with a kunai a while back. Then again when I punched you in the stomach earlier, into a major vein leading directly through your liver to your heart."**(10)**

He pulled up shirt, revealing a very small puncture hole. "But how did I not feel it?"

I coughed for a moment, but continued to speak quickly after. "The tip of the syringe has a numbing substance, so it wouldn't be felt. Not to mention, the needle is very small.

Before you ask, the poison is something I made with help Kankuro, my perfumes, and your very own teachings. Also, I swiped the vial of poison in your ninja pouch when you weren't looking and mixed it with some of that. Then, I took your emergency antidote and chakra supplement liquid, threw it out on the ground, and replaced it with water, when you were in a scuffle with my clone. That was some time back as well. **(11)**"

That poison is slowly lowering your chakra levels, and will put you into a coma-like state when it reaches your heart and mind. The stomach implant to your heart, the neck one to your mind. Even after you wake up in at least a week, you won't be able to use any jutsu for a month, or you'll kill yourself – your heart will combust. Pretty good for a fool, huh?"

By now, Kabuto was on his knees, using one hand to grip his chest, and the other to tighten around the fabric of his shirt above his heart, dry-heaving and coughing up blood.

Finally, he collapsed, hacking.

I had won.

"I'll…Orochim-maru-sama…we'll g-get you…for…this…b-bitch," he rasped out, before he fell unconscious. The poison had already reached his brain and heart.

"I believe I already won, shithead." I said anyway.

I raised my arm to my mouth, knowing it was the only way to save myself. I didn't have the strength to yell for help, and there was no one around to help me.

I sighed into my arm as my own chakra turned into healing chakra coursed through my body, healing myself and closing most of my wounds; enough to keep me from bleeding out and then some.

_Better hurry._

I forced myself to turn on one side, so I could reach into my ninja pouch on the opposite side.

When I found what I was looking for, I let myself fall back onto my back, wincing at the pain I felt spread throughout my body once more. _It's better than lying on my chest._

I shot the flare gun into the sky, watching as a blood-red streak plummeted into the air.

By the time my hand fell limp and it as well as the gun fell onto the ground, I was already fading into a hazy subconsciousness.

_"Are you ready yet, Karin? Damn, you're slow." A shark-tooth grin appeared, a body with it. A male one._

_"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, let's go." I ran on to catch up with him._

"Stupid Suigetsu…" I muttered, as I fully welcomed the dream world.

* * *

**(1): It's something I made up, so don't expect to look it up and find it true. Basically, it's a pressure point that will knock him out, and the more exhausted he is, the longer he's out.  
(2): Her bio says, like Sakura, though she doesn't use it, Karin's actually quite intelligent. I'm guessing not as much as Sakura if they had an IQ battle, but pretty smart nonetheless. And I always figured Temari to be pretty smart too - she had to grow up pretty fast, and was the strategist for her team. Also, to hang out with Shikamaru that much, you gotta be smart. Chouji's Shika's best friend, so Shika probably doesn't speak nerd-lingo with him. Not that I'm insulting nerds. I am one.  
(3): Wasn't that what Suigetsu called her when they (he and Sasuke) went to get her in the anime? I'm pretty sure it was something like that...whatever it is, it isn't on her wiki page and I don't feel like looking for the episode and checking.  
(4): Yes. Her hobby really IS collecting perfumes. I doubt she makes them in canon, but I made that up for the story. Her name also means "fragrance" in Japanese. (KarIn, not KarEn)  
(5): I mean tell him that he's not the only Uzumaki, that she's one and there's one more out there. (Nagato/Pain)  
(6): This part was in an earlier chapter. I think like #6 or #7. Around there.  
(7): Okay, so she was sent back to the past right? Right. But in THIS past, she was kidnapped by Orochimaru at 7, then ran away and arrived back at Grass to become a ninja officially by about 10 or 11. In the Chunin Exams, Oro tried to capture her again but was stopped by Anko. I believe I explained this in earlier chapters, whether or not in Author's Notes.  
(8): Her oufit that she wore in the Chunin Exams is here: . /_cb20110522144031/naruto/images/thumb/1/13/Karin_ /180px-Karin_ . She wore it in the actual Chunin Exams. Now, just make that shirt long-sleeved and change the headband to Leaf's. That's what she wears now. Not her old outfit.  
(9): Yup. In Part 1, Kabuto's 23. Seriously.  
(10): I don't think there's such a vein so close to the skin of your stomach, but it was made up for the story. Go with it, people.  
(11): I didn't show the whole fight, as you guys must have guessed. The part she's talking about wasn't written, so pretend it happened while Ino and Chouji were fighting. I want to get these fights over with without making the chapters super long, okay?**

**Alright. That's all for now.**

**OH!**

**It SNOWED on Wednesday! While we were at SCHOOL! That's CRAY-CRAY! It like NEVER snows in our area. At the edge of town into the next one maybe, but nearly NEVER in Tucson! Some of my friends saw snow for the first time! YAY!**

**Also, it was 22°, which was a record for this time of year. It hasn't been that cold this time of year since 1936. BEFORE DEPRESSION & WW2!**

**Anyhoos, adios, mi amores! **

**Laters!**

**Love,**

**Cherry.**


	23. Chapter 23: Believing

**Saturday, March 9th, 2013:**_ TENTEN'S BIRTHDAY!_

**Happy birthday, Tenten!**

**Okay, so I lied. This chapter is all about Neji and Tenten, instead of going into Temari and Shikamaru's fight in the end like I promised. When I finished the NejiTen stuff, the chapter was almost 3k words long, and adding the author's notes at the beginning and end like I always do, that'd make about 3k words - long enough already.**

**I hope the NejiTen I added in here makes up for the lack of anybody else.**

**So, if all goes well, the next chapter will be all about the beginning of Temari and Shika's fight, and the start of Kiba, Kankuro, and Hinata's. **

**2-3 more chapters, and we'll finally see Naruto and Sakura finding Sasuke and Gaara! Hopefully, Matsuri, too. **

**More SasuSaku then, too!**

**So review, and I'll update faster! I have a break the week after next so who knows...**

**BTW, I actually went to my first school dance. It was the last middle school one of the year, and since I'll be in high school next year, it's the last middle school one for me period. **

**I only went for that reason (hardly an incentive, though), my friends begged me, and extra credit for Drama. So voila.**

**I've been to another dance, but that was a Daddy-Daughter dance for the elementary part of the school (that was hosted in the Middle-High school gym, since it's the only one for the whole campus) on my birthday like 2 years ago, and it doesn't count since I was staying after school for a club anyway, and volunteered to help the Dance Committee thing, too. And was in there for like, 10 minutes.**

**Anyway, I mostly sat and drank soda for almost 3 hours. I don't dance, and I'm awkward sometimes. I'm the loner type at parties, the one with friends who aren't and try to pull you in but fail. It was fun though. Sorta.**

**Yeah...that was my Friday. **

Disclaimer: **  
**

**Me: Tenten, you do it.**

**Tenten: If she owned Naruto, Neji wouldn't have died. I would get **wayyyyy** more screentime and character development, and Neji and I would be together. Seriously. Or at least, almost together. She doesn't own World of Warcraft, either.**

**Me: Thank you.**

**Tenten: Your welcome. So...how much NejiTen romance _is_ there in this chapter?**

**Me: Read and find out, hun.**

**READ ON, MY LOVELIES! **

* * *

Chapter 23: Believing

* * *

**Tenten POV**

_I-I can do this…I can d-do th-this…then why can't I freaking get up?!_

Here I was, cowering and shaking behind a [conveniently] large tree, kunai in my right hand, shuriken in my left.

I felt Neji's harsh breathing beside me, and I berated myself from being so useless to him. _Is this how Sakura used to feel?_

When we first found Kidomaru, I thought the fight was going in our favor.

* * *

**TENTEN'S RECAP**

* * *

I was able to deal with Kidomaru's extra limbs, (he has 8 in total and it reminds me of a spider) and together, Neji and I were able to inflict some significant damage to him. (2 broken ribs; 2 fractured hands, a fractured elbow; a cracked upper arm [the bone]; kunai to the foot and arm; broken nose; scratches, cuts and bruises here and there)

However, that didn't leave _us_ unscathed. (I had a fractured upper arm, near my shoulder, as well as a stab wound in my left thigh. Neji had a nearly dislocated jaw, and a broken foot. Luckily, it wasn't the foot he normally spins on while using his Kaiten. We both have scratches and bruises all over)

We were better off than Kidomaru, though, so we had hope.

But.

Things were going almost too easily. Kidomaru may have been heavily injured, but I thought he was planning something. His fondness of games (as he stated himself) only increases my suspicions.

What kind of gamer doesn't have a trick up his sleeve, always planning something? Especially in a fight?

I would know. I'm a gamer myself. Though I'm more of a weapon geek. _And I'm proud of it._

I told Neji my suspicions, and we agreed to stay on our guard.

Right after, Kidomaru entered his Stage 2 Curse Mark form.

The asshole didn't even stop at Stage 1, with the marks all over his body. _**Nooo**_, he went straight to Level 2, kicking our asses like it was child's play. _Have I ever told you how much I **detest** him?_

And what's worse? His new form terrifies me. _And he hardly looks like a spider!_

Earlier, it'd take a couple seconds to cut a web with a kunai or shuriken.(I made sure to pack special ones, this morning, preparing to face Kidomaru) Remember: I also have to give the weapons a layer of chakra or else they won't cut the webs.**(1)** It was longer than I'd like.

So, I took out one of my favorite katana. It was _ridiculously_ sharp, and the metal is much harder than that of normal a katana. Perfect weapon for those damned spider webs.

Neji took much less time than me; it was a good time in a fight.

However, after Kidomaru's transformation? The webs strengthened I took nearly twice as long. _I'll get killed trying to cut those things!_

Kidomaru's wounds didn't heal, but the way he moved, it wouldn't have made a difference whether they were or not.

He was throwing us around like dolls – slicing us and piercing us like it was nobody's business.

As if it couldn't get any worse, the bastard had to be smart, realized, and **_found_** Neji's only blind spot. _That guy…I'd be happy if he burned in hell. I. HATE. Him. So __**much**__!_

Without much choice at the moment, Neji and I had run deeper into the forest and behind the large tree, to catch our breath and clear our heads.

* * *

**END OF RECAP**

* * *

I returned my katana and its sheathe to my scroll, knowing it would be of no use to me now. What we need to do now is mid-/long-range combat. Close-range will get us killed._D-deep breaths...deep breaths...deep breaths..._

"Get your bow and arrow out. Your best one. Hurry." Neji's whisper jarred me out of my depressive trance, and I hurried to follow his instructions. _I should be thinking clearer, like Neji. I can't be of any use to either of us if I don't keep my head in the game!_

I pulled out a crossbow of mine; I figured the power of it would be useful. It was a custom-made, lightweight, black, sleek, crossbow. **(2)**

The arrowheads of the arrows were also tipped with a metal normally used to build steel buildings, for extra strength.

However, I couldn't stop the quaking of my hands, and decided to set the weapon down, hoping Kidomaru didn't find us anytime soon.

_This was much harder than I thought it would be._ I clenched my hands and leaned my back fully against the tree.

_I'm so afraid and I can't do anything! At this rate, I'm going to get both of us killed!_

I was jarred out of my thoughts when I felt a hand against my cheek. I turned to the owner of the hand.

"N-Nej-ji…" I muttered, unable to stop my stutter.

Neji continued to wipe tears I had no idea were falling, then set his hand to rest on mine, on the ground, rubbing circles on it, and the action calmed me.

In the back of my mind, I registered the romance that normally was part of these types of actions, wondering if they meant anything to Neji…the way it meant to me, deep inside.

"Don't cry. You're doing your best, and so am I." Neji said, his expression soft, even with the absence of a smile. "That's all we can ask for."

"But I've hardly been able to do anything!" I whisper-yelled, remembering to keep my voice low, lest our enemy finds us. "I've just been shivering hear like a scared little chi-"

"Stop that. Now." The strength of his tone cut me off, rather than just the words themselves. "Quit insinuating that you're weak. You are strong, Tenten, whether you believe it or not. And together, we can win this. We just have to believe that we _can_ at the same time. My fight with…Uzumaki taught me that much." Neji looked down in almost shame for a second, then quickly looked back up and penetrated my eyes, as if looking into my soul. "I believe we can do this. I believe- no. I **_know_** you can do this. Question is, do _you_?"

I looked down. I was ashamed that Neji could see my insecurities so easily, but I was also still unsure.

_Can I do this? Can I _**really**_?_

"Believe in yourself, Tenten." He whispered this into my ear, taking me into his arms. The fear that was engulfing me slipped away, as if frightened by Neji's presence.

For a moment, we just sat there, enjoying the warmth of our embrace.

Finally, I gently pulled away –though I didn't want to – and looked into eyes of the boy- no, man who holds my heart. I smiled. "I can do this. I _will_ do this. Ready?"

He gave me a light smirk; the one that always resembled a smile, in an almost loving way. The one I always adored, not that I'd tell him that. _Sakura once told me Sasuke used to do the same thing. We both fell hard, didn't we, Sakura?_

My heart fluttered. "One more thing."

Before I knew it, Neji's face was nearing mine. _Huh?_

He placed a lingering peck at the corner of my mouth. Kissing my cheek more than my lips. _So close._

I flushed anyway, my heart running a marathon.

Neji gave that soft/loving smirk again. "For good luck."

Cue quickened heartbeat. _He's going to be the death of me one day…_

I looked at Neji again. _…not that I mind._

I opened my mouth to say something -what, I don't know- but was interrupted by the sound of a loud voice.

**_"Found you!"_** Kidomaru had discovered us.

Springing to action, as Neji quickly run his plan to me into my ear, as we gathered any weapons that were on the ground.

We charged the Spiderman-wannabe-fallout. _He disgraces the name of "spider men"._

"Ready to die? You did well to reach this level, but now it's game over!" Now that I was calm, I had more clarity for sarcastic comments. _What's with this guy and games anyway? Even I'm not that bad! Did he used to be some computer geek that spent all his time in his parents basement, playing World of Warcraft day and night or what?__**(3) **Ugh. And he had to be smart, too...the gaming geniuses are the ones you always need to look out for._

I notched my bow, replaying Neji's instructions in my head.

_"Fire at him with normal arrows, to drive him into the giant tree we saw earlier with the large "X" on it.__**(4)**_ _Then, use your stronger arrows to pin him to the tree, and I'll use my new technique, 8 Trigrams, 128 Palms to incapacitate him.**(5)** There will be interference from him of course, but no matter how long it takes, pin him to that tree."_

I cheered up at the thought that it reminded me of when Kikyo had done nearly the same thing as I plan to do to Inuyasha in the anime series, _Inuyasha_, despite the circumstances of that event. **(6)**

"Unfortunately for you, Mr. Spiderman-wannabe, I'm not dying today. Today's victory belongs to Konoha." I responded. I wasn't only talking about my own fight, but the others' fights and the village's against the forces of Sound and Sand. _We will win this not just because we __**have **__to, but because the Will of Fire burns in all of us, and it's time we showed others our flame.__**(7)**_

"Enough chit-chat, let's kick your ass." I was a little surprise to hear Neji curse (he doesn't do it often), but I nodded and ran to catch up with Neji and Kidomaru.

The next **_few_** minutes were spent attacking, slicing, blocking, and leading Kidomaru to the tree.

I felt confident – now! I notched the special arrow into place, aimed, and fired.

Now, why were they only "**_few_** minutes"?

Because Kidomaru lost it. As in, _went_**_ ballistic_**.

The nsecond I released the arrow, Kidomaru roared in anger and caught it, indenting the metal with his hand, and threw it at Neji.

Neji barely dodged the bent arrow.

**_"ENOUGH!_**** I ****_told_**** you! GAME OVER! Die now!" **Kidomaru was officially done playing.

The monster regurgitated an arrow he explained to be his technique called, "Spider War Bow: Terrible Split,"**(8)** claiming it was completely unavoidable, and notched it at us.

**"Bye-bye, now,"** He said, and released the arrow.

Suddenly I got a flash of one of Neji's memories, of facing this arrow before in the other past; Itachi must have sent the memory to me before, but I had not acknowledged it until now.

I looked at the path of the arrow.

Neji's blind spot.

He was about to use Kaiten, but I took his hands and stopped him. "Don't! You can't get away from it! It will follow your blind spot!"

"What do I do then?!"

I didn't respond.

I took a quick glance at the incoming arrow and spun Neji quickly, then pushed him down to the ground, so he was falling forwards.

I stayed where I was, standing in front of him, arms out.

He tried turning while falling; turning to me.

"Tenten, what-"

The arrow that was coming to his blind spot couldn't change course quickly enough to follow Neji again and had pierced me instead. The bottom right side of my back.

The arrow was faster than I thought, so Neji, instead of being on the ground by the time the arrow came, was also hurt by the tip of the arrow that went through my body. It didn't go through him, but it had gone very deep just below the middle of his torso.

We were pierced together, almost like dango balls on a stick. _Nothing…wrong with a little…humor to lighten things…up, right?_

The two of us coughed blood as we fell to the ground, the arrow still in us. The impact of falling onto his back had driven the tip of the arrow further into Neji's body, and he painstakingly reached around us to pull it out.

"_AHH_!" I couldn't help but scream at the pain of having the arrow pulled out. Neji couldn't hold his screams back either. "AAGH!"

When the arrow was out, Neji through it aside, and let his hand fall limp. I rolled off of him and onto my side, trying to keep my breathing steady. _N-no…this can't happen._

"He he he. Die together, you pathetic pieces of Konoha trash," Kidomaru said, dropping from the branch of the tree he was in, jumping to the ground. The curse mark receded and he slumped against his tree, breathing heavily. _I-is he…resting?_

He closed his eyes as well. "You put up a good fight, I'll give you that much. But now it's time for you to die slowly, bathing in the agony of my attack. See you in hell." He laughed, then stopped, his breath hitching. He closed his eyes again. _Maybe we hurt him more than any of us thought…_

"Tenten," Neji whispered. "Can you move?"

Next to me, Neji was staring at me, awaiting my answer, his expression not portraying any of the pain I know he was feeling. _I have to stay strong…for Neji._

I nodded.

"Do you think you can fire your last special arrow at him?"

I reached for my crossbow (that had fallen to the ground when we were struck) and did my best to maneuver myself against the tree near us, Neji (he was the most mobile) helping get the both of us leaning against it as quietly as possible – we may have hope to win now, but if we alert Kidomaru we're through.

I lifted my arms as best I could, with the arrow in place and aimed at our foe. However, with the pain I was feeling, I couldn't support my arms, and they fell.

I was about to turn to Neji and tell him I couldn't fire the arrows when his arms moved to lift mine in the air, in a position I could fire with.

He whispered to me again. "Let's do this Tenten."

_Neji…_

I nodded, and aimed my arrow at a point of our enemy's body that would possibly kill him -though that's not my intention- but definitely incapacitate him: the right side of his chest, opposite his heart.**(9) **The arrow head is small, so he won't bleed out easily, but not tiny, either.

I released.

The arrow successfully tore through Kidomaru's body and pinned him to the tree, waking him from sleep and forcing him to cough blood.

"W-wha…" He tried saying, but shut his mouth when it was too much for him. He opted for glaring viciously at us.

"Don't…*cough* underestimate Konoha." I said.

Kidomaru, with the last of his strength, tried to pull out a kunai to throw, but Neji hit him with his own kunai in the stomach, stopping Kidomaru completely and making him fall unconscious from the pain and exhaustion.

Neji and I breathed ruggedly from our injuries, but I was stubborn to finish my mission. "Neji…*cough*…inside my… pouch…flare gun…fire…up."

Neji reached over to my left side and pulled out the desired object. (He was to my right, and I was leaning on him) He fired it into the sky and a lime green stream of smoke shot through the air. He then let the gun fall to the ground when he was finished.

"We…we're done now." I said, fully resting my body on Neji's, unable to support myself against the trunk of the tree we were on. _Now that I'm not trying to move, the pain from all my wounds are coming back tenfold._

"I'm sorry…couldn't protect…*cough* you." I said to him, looking up at Neji, my hand resting against my largest wound; the one from the arrow. _Since I can't do anything else, I should at least put pressure on it to keep myself from bleeding out._

Neji shook his head. "All that matters…*cough* is that we're together and alive. *wheeze* For that…*cough* I'm grateful."

I lost myself in his eyes, and subconsciously muttered his name. "Neji-kun…"

"Tenten…" He dipped and softly captured my lips with his.

It was a short and soft -more like weak- kiss, mingled with blood from our lips and panting from our wounds. Nonetheless, it was filled a sort of hope and relief - relief that we made it, and together, and hope for...something. Something that makes my insides twist in both anticipation and fear.

When we pulled away, we slid down the tree and unto the ground. Neji was on his side. He wrapped his right arm over my body and pulled my body to his with the last of his strength.

The action pulled my hair out of the already greatly loosened buns.

I melted into his warm chest and closed my eyes, nearing unconsciousness. _I can finally…rest._

He rested his head against my own, resting against my brown hair.

"Tenten…"

In the back of my mind, as I fell asleep, I registered one thought;

_Third kiss, November 8th, 2012._

* * *

**(1): Whether or not you remember, in order to cut Kidomaru's webs, Neji had to exude chakra into his hands and slice the webs (that had chakra running through them) at their weakest ponits. If it helps you understand, it reminded me of the Chakra Scalpel technique.  
(2): Remember Io (look him up in Narutopedia) from that filler episode in Shippuden, where Tenten had a flashback where she led Neji and Naruto to a weapon maker's place? She got her Jidanda and I think a couple other weapons from him. In my fics, Tenten had been getting weapons at a discount or even free from him since, as long as she tested his weapons, promoted them, and visited him. She even continued to receive them in the future. And since most of Tenten's weapons are from the future, the crossbow was one of many she had gotten from him. I made the crossbow up, btw.  
(3): No offense to World of Warcraft fans. It was one of the first popular online games I could think of.  
(4): Like in the last chapter, you did not see the whole fight, so that tree was part of the fight that Tenten didn't recap - therefore, you don't know it. So don't feel confused that you don't know what tree they're talking about.  
(5): Yes, I had Neji learn that technique early. Let's just say he did a shitload off training to master it.  
(6): I'm almost done with Inuyasha. I literally have like, 10 episodes left. Though I still have to watch the movies and that afterstory thing.  
(7): Sorry for the cheesy line. I made it up on the spot.  
(8): Straight from Narutopedia, folks. That's the English translation of that attack. Look it up if you don't remember it. That was one grizzly attack.  
(9): I'm pretty sure a normal person would still die or at least bleed out from something like that, but this is Naruto and they're ninja - they're not normal people. But yeah...I'm not doctor so I don't know the exact effects of doing that.**

**I'm going to start asking you guys questions after every chapter. I'm just curious to the answer to these random questions. (They vary)**

**Love you all!**

**-EOC**

**Don't forget to review!**

Question of the chapter: **_Who do you think is the most ideal boyfriend from the Naruto series and who would you date?_ **Like, if Sasuke wasn't all revengy and actually got a girlfriend, do you think he'd be a good one? Neji, too, if...you know. If the characters didn't love anyone, (namely Naruto), certain circumstances were changed, (*cough* Sasuke, Neji, Sai's lack of emotions) and they sat down and got a girlfriend, who'd be the best boyfriend, in your opinion?


	24. Chapter 24: WomenRomancesGetting Along

Friday, March 22nd, 2013.

**Hey guys! I'm updating earlier than usual because I'll be somewhere tomorrow. Where?**

*Drum roll*

**At Con-Nichiwa here in Tucson! It's my first Con! EVA! I can't wait. Unfortunately, I could only go for one day; tomorrow. I wanted to go for all 3 but couldn't.**

**Apparently, it's annual in Tucson. How'd I not know that?**

**Anyway, to answer a certain reviewer's questions; **_Guest_**;****  
**

**1) **As far as the make-Sasuke-jealous thing goes, I'll give it a try again, since I already did it when Team 7 went on a mission for the escort earlier in the story. It won't be too big though - I don't want to make this story too long. I MAY do something like it again though. And if you read ReWind, I'm already planning a Sasuke-jealous moment there.

**2) **Yeah, I recognized some of the characters you described. :)

**3) **I'll find a way to make them bond somehow, but I can't make it that long (again, I don't want to make this story too long) and I can't send them _all_ on a mission because that's too many people to send out for a village that got invaded. Great idea, though! I'll make them bond one way or another.

**4) **About the updating: I already say that I update once every two weeks, and I apologize if you didn't know that. So, once every two weeks unless I say other wise. I also have the dates of every update at the very top of every chapter so you know when they came out.  
The every-two-weeks thing is a schedule, so I can continue ReWind and DoOver (this story) without a problem. One week it's DoOver, the next ReWind, after that DoOver again, and so on. One story a week - enough time to write every chapter a week.

**Response to another reviewer's inquiry; **_White Tiger_**;**

I plan to insert more ItaHana soon. I just need to get the Chunin Exams out of the way, which is taking more time than I'd like. Oh, and since Hanare's already in Konoha now (she appeared with Haku and Zabuza), I'll have her do stuff later, too. Damn Chunin Exams...my favorite Arc but a PITA to write. And I really love your reviews, btw. 3

**My answer to the Weekly Question thing I started last time: **I usually don't actually think of stuff like that very deeply (I still have my favorite bishies*****) because many of my favorite anime guys are taken or something, but I'd have to say, pairings aside, I think Shikamaru would be one of the best boyfriends. And if I had to pick someone to date, it'd be him. He's smart, he may be lazy but he does what needs to be done. I'm lazy, too, by the way. He's handsome *cough* "hot") and would be able to provide for himself and future family with the money he makes as a ninja. I think he'd take care of the one he loves. So yeah, Shika's my answer.

**Disclaimer:** Sakura's doing it because I plan to write a Team7Friendship/SasuSaku one-shot for her birthday on the 28th.

**Sakura: **If EOC owned **Naruto,** I would have done way more and gotten more character development. More attention on other characters than only Naruto and Sasuke-kun.

**Me: **Yeah, pretty much. So I don't own **Naruto,** obviously.

**ATTENTION:**

Like I said, I'm writing a one-shot for Sakura's b-day. Team 7 Friendship and SasuSaku. Set before Sasuke's departure. I want you guys to read it okay? It'll be out on the **28th**!

* * *

Chapter 24: Women, Getting Along, and Past Romances

* * *

**Temari POV**

"Temari! Temari!" Shikamaru said to me, trying to get my attention.

I'll admit it was kinda hard to ignore him, seeing how we were both seated on my fan as I flew it toward the forest.

"Where the hell are we going and _**what**_ in the name of the equilibrium is going _on_ here?! Answer me!"

I turned to the very annoyed future-chunin. " 'In the name of the equilibrium'? _Really_?"

He gave me a look. "Oh, so _now_ you talk to me."

I rolled my eyes and turned my eyes back to the terrain ahead. I couldn't let us crash, now could I? _Well, I_ **could**_, but I value my life, thank you very much._

I sighed. "Long story short, Oreo**(1)** had brought a couple of his minions to help him kill the Third and we stopped 'em. Now they're split up and we're going after one of them. The others are going after the rest of his subordinates."

"Oreo…" Shikamaru muttered. "And what'd you give the sensei**(2)** back there?

He was referring to what I did before I dumped the two of us on my fan and left the arena.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

"_Now!" I heard the signal, and I saw Tenten fire the arrow. _'Bout time_, I thought._

"_Action time," I muttered. Looking for some certain adults._

"_Yo." I said, clamping my hands on Asuma's shoulder. _

_He turned around. "Temari? What do you want? We're busy and being inva-"_

"_I know." I slapped a piece of paper on it._

_On it, it said:_

**Sakura – Pink.**  
**Ino – Violet.**  
**Hinata – Royal Blue.**  
**Tenten – Lime Green.**  
**Temari – Baby Blue.**  
**Karin – Red.**  
**Matsuri – Yellow.**

_That was it, really. _

_I wanted a darker blue shade or purple, but Ino won in Rock-Paper-Scissors and Hinata _really _wanted royal blue. Who was I to say no?_

_So Baby Blue for me it was._

"_What is this-" _

"_Look up, 'kay? Bye." I clapped the jounin on the shoulder and left to find the others._

_Essentially, I relatively did the same thing to them as I did Asuma. _

_I made some dramatic air rainbow and said, "Towards the sky, Kurenai-san." In a deep and philosophical way, and pointed up toward the sky for Kakashi and Gai. I said, "Look to the sky," for Genma and Iruka. _

_I gave each of them copies of the paper, inwardly wishing for them to figure it out when the time comes, and go after the girls at their respective locations when it happened._

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

"So what'd you give the sensei?" Shikamaru asked me again.

"A key." I knew just the right thing to piss him off. _Which, by the way, is a_ **shitload**_ of fun._

It's not like I was lying. What's on the paper _is_ a key of sorts. Just not a traditional one.

"A key that tells them _what_ exactly?" Annoyance was practically _oozing_ from his words. _Maybe I'm enjoying this a little too much…oh well!_

"Where to go when the sky lights up." I said simply. Again, I was still telling the truth. _He'll probably think I have a screw loose. Ha!_

"…Have you finally cracked or something?" I couldn't help myself – I snuck a glance back at him and bursted out laughing as I turned back. _He's so cute when thinks I'm crazy-…Hold it! What. Did. I. Just. Say?!_

I tried to not let my temporary, inner case of emergency show in my voice. I was still laughing, which helped. "Maybe! You're the genius – why don't you try to figure it out?"

He didn't speak for a moment. I took the moment to sort out my thoughts.

_Okay, now, what'd I say earlier?_

"_He's so cute when he thinks I'm crazy". Maybe Ino was right…_

_No! She can't be right! I don't fall for anyone! Period!_

…_Okay, maybe I like Shikamaru a bit, and I know I did in the other time. I'll admit that much._

_I really need to stop arguing with myself. I don't even have an "Inner" like Sakura and Ino to argue with. Just me, myself, and I. _

…_That sounds so pathetic._

"What color were we?" Shikamaru's voice – thank God – jarred me out of my self-argument.

"So you saw it, did you?"

"Just a peek over Asuma-sensei's shoulder."

"…Baby Blue."

"…Seriously?"

"Ino won rock-paper-scissors for violet, and Hinata wanted royal blue for some reason. You want to compete against those puppy eyes? Damn her for being on Kiba and his dog's team." I said.

He chuckled. "You know, there's a rumor still going around from the academy that Kiba and Shino helped her with her 'puppy expression'."**(3)**

"No way!" It was times like these I felt I was bonding with him, and it made me feel like some kind of sap. I couldn't bring myself to hate it though. _I'm turning into such a teenage girl! Well – I am one, but I'm not supposed to_ **act**_ like one. Wait, that doesn't make sense- you know what? I'll shut up now.__  
_

"Way. Apparently Shino helped with the big-eyes thing. You know, 'bug eyes'? Kiba and Akamaru supposedly helped for the cute look, and advised her when to use it or something like that. Kiba was all for deceit."

"Really now?" I was actually interested in this. _It's funny!_ "Did she ever use it on anyone? I can't see her having the heart to trick someone like that."

I could feel Shikamaru move closer.

To me, of course - for those of you who are too slow to understand.

I ignored the hairs at the back of my head standing on end. "Yeah, Iruka-sensei and Suzume-sensei **(4)**. Mostly to keep Naruto out of too much trouble. Like softening his punishments – things of that sort."

His voice was low, kind of-…if he was older, it'd be sexy. I feel bad almost calling a 14 year old's voice sexy. I feel like a pedophile. Especially since I'm technically 20.**(5)**

That's illegal in a lot of countries.**(6) **Konoha and Suna are a couple of them.

"How well did it work?"

"Putty in her hands. Iruka-sensei asked to her to avoid using it, since he always fell for it."

I laughed. "That good, huh? Would you have fallen for it?" _Like I had fallen for you?_

_...Good Lord! What the fuck is wrong with me! I _**HAVE GOT** _to stop watching those cheesy movies with Matsuri, and not let her convince me to read so much shoujo…that hopeless romantic. Damn her sometimes!_

"Probably. I'll admit – she was pretty adorable. It'd have to depend on what she wanted me to do though – I'm supposed to be the 'lazy ass', right? Strenuous is more than too _troublesome_."

I let a smirk come to my lips. _That's the Shika I know._

"Hey, what's that?" Shikamaru pointed over my shoulder to down below in the forest. I suppressed a shiver. _Damn you, hormones and heart!_

I looked in that direction regardless. A flash of purple, tan, and red.

Cue smirk. _Fun time has begun. _"There she is – let's go!"

I dipped my flying fan down to coast towards the other red-head I know of – Tayuya. _Oh, how I hate her!__ She infuriates me so much!_

"Wait, _**she?**_ I can't fight a girl- Temari! Hey, _Temari!"_ Shikamaru scrambled to get a grip on the fan.

"Safety first, kids!" I laughed. _Irresistible._

"No, I mean-! Our opponent is a girl?! I can't fight a girl! Why couldn't they be a guy?!" I already know his reason for not being able to fight women; he told me before our fight.

It's some weird sense of chivalry he developed growing up with his father and mother. It's kind of flattering to have a gentleman around sometimes, but good Lord, dude. Fight.

"Well too bad. Do what you did with me – not quite on the offensive. But do is _something_ or we're both going to die."

"…Die, huh?"

"Yup," I said, popping the "p". "They're Oreo's top lackeys – the Sound Ninja 4. They're pretty strong. Strategizing with Karin –who knew them best due to her time with Senor Maniac– and Sakura, we came up with who and with whom would fight the SN4 based on ability and likeliness to win and all that shit. So yeah, we were up with Tayuya. We took your wannabe-chivalry into account and concluded, even if you don't attack her aggressively, we can still win. Somehow. Now shut up – we're here."

Shikamaru sighed and I knew he was on board with the fight, whether he liked it or not.

As we neared the tree branch closest to Tayuya, I slowly took the fan from under us so we landed on the branch dramatically and I had the fan in my hand as we did, ready for a fight.

I like to make an entrance. What's it to you?

"Ugh, who are you shitheads?"**(7)** Tayuya said with a grimace.

"They two Shinobi who are going to kick your ass, that's who." I said.

_"Really_ now?" _Cocky bitch._

"Let's start this thing." I said, charging her.

Distinctly, I heard Shikamaru sight and mutter behind me, "Here we go."

* * *

**Kiba POV**

"Hinata! Hinata! _Hi-na-ta_!" Said girl suddenly started dragging us away from the arena and into the forest.

Her Byakugan was on, so I reasoned she was chasing someone. _But who?_

Oh, and "we" consisted of myself and that Temari girl's bastard of a brother, Kankuro. If it wasn't obvious already, I _really_ don't like him. He's a rude asshole and I just don't like him much.

Maybe if we tried we could become friends, but that's just Hinata's influence talking. _Tch'yeah right. Us, friends? Not in this universe._

Akamaru, by the way, was trailing behind Kanky –he hates being called that– and I, equally confused as the rest of us.

Hinata's heavy breathing reminded me of her current injured state. "Hinata! You shouldn't be exerting herself like this, you should-"

"I'll go to the hospital after this. But right now…"

"What's going on here, Girly?" Kankuro demanded. He clearly didn't enjoy being pulled along by a girl smaller than him. _HA._

"Orochimaru has a group of ninja he had br-brought here to help him k-k-kill the Third, the Sound Ninja 4. We're chasing one -or two- of them."

"What's that mean?" _If it's one person, it's one person. If it's two, it's two. Period. Simple laws of nature. So what's she talking about?_

"There's f-four members, including the leader. The l-leader is who we're ch-chasing. He carries his b-brother over his back, w-which is what I meant by t-two."

I'll admit – I was a little nervous.

I gulped. "Leader? Wouldn't that make him…you know, the strongest?"

"Possibly." Hinata glanced toward us for a moment, and gave a small smile. "B-But I believe you three can beat h-him."

"Three?" Kankuro asked.

"Arf!"

_That answers that question._

"Like a _dog_ could fight."

I turned, angry at him. "Akamaru is way stronger than you can ever make any of your stupid _dolls_ to be!"

"They're not-"

"Stop!" Hinata said, and I was surprised to hear her yell like that. She never does that. _Note to self: avoid pissing her off._  
"You two need to work together or you'll all get killed. Put your differences aside for now, and fight together! Promise me you'll do that, Kiba-kun!"

The fierce look in her eyes when she looked at me reminded me of the time I had a crush on her. I don't anymore, but you could see why I did, right? I moved on when I realized she could only see Naruto in her eyes the way I wanted her to see me.**(8)**

…Okay, maybe her [though kind] rejection helped somewhat.

"Alright, I'll try-" I started.

"No! I don't want you to try, I want you to do it!" _Whoa! She's passionate about this._

"I-I'll do it."

"Kankuro-san? If not for m-me, then do it for your siblings. You care about them d-don't you? Temari is fighting one of the m-members right now – how would she feel if something happened to you while fighting? How w-would _you_ feel if you lost Gaara? Matsuri even? She's your friend, i-isn't she?"

He bit his lip. _I bet without her injuries from her fight with Neji a **month** ago, she wouldn't be stuttering at all now._

Having an older sister you love dearly is something I've always understood, with Hana. Especially after the Massacre, I always felt I needed to protect her. It was frightening watching her sanity collapse like that… _I'll never forgive Ita- that Bastard for what he did to her...Right after Sasuke, I want to kill him the most. Though not to Sasuke's level...that's unhealthy. It's almost_ **sick**_._

"…I'll do it."

"Good, because we're almost there." Soon, she stopped, and so did we.

She turned to us. "I have n-no strength to fight – barely enough t-to head back to the v-village. I-I'll only be a burden to you, so I leave you three to th-this. He's beyond the trees ahead. Be p-prepared."

I gulped. "Right."

Suddenly, she embraced me. "C-come back safe, alright?"

I hugged her back, smiling. "Yeah. I will. Promise."

She gave me a good-luck-kiss on my cheek, and I blushed. _It's just the proximity and that I was unprepared.__**(9)**_

She hugged and kissed Akamaru, too, wishing him luck.

Then, she turned to Kankuro. "You come back safely, too, Kankuro-san." She offered a smile. "Temari-chan would not be happy to hear if you lost or the like."

He smirked. "Yeah. I don't lose, don't worry."

She smiled again, and was about to leave when she turned to Kankuro again. "Oh, and when you come back, can you give Shino a match of sorts? He's q-quite upset he never got to fight, d-due to your f-forfeit."

He chukcled. "I will, 'kay? Tell him, would you?"

She nodded again. And running towards the arena. "Good luck boys!"

Soon, she was out of sight.

Kankuro bumped my shoulder. "Let's go."

I nodded. "Yeah."

As we headed towards the mystery Oreo lackey(s), Kankuro broke the silence.

"So…the Hyuuga huh?"

"Not anymore. Shut up."**(10)**

He laughed.

* * *

**(1): **If you didn't notice, "Oreo" is a nickname for Orochimaru. Jet black hair, near-white skin, **ORO**chimaru? That's how the name came to birth, I think. I didn't come up with it though - it's common in the Naruto fandom. Temari is a more laid-back/casual character in her speech, so she's using it.**  
****(2): **Since "sensei" is a Japanese word, the plural of it would not be "sensei**S**". It's just "sensei". No "s". Same for "nakama" (made famous by One Piece) and other such words. They're not English so the plural of them isn't found by putting "s" at the end, or another English rule. They, for the most part, stay the same, plural or not.**  
(3): **My sister and I always had that fantasy of Hinata's teammates helping her improve a "puppy-dog expression". They'd be perfect, right?  
**(4): **Suzume is one of the other Academy teachers. She's less-known, though, for obvious reasons.  
**(5): **Yup. Temari's technically about 20. In this time, she's 17. Three years into the future, as well as the fact that it's NOVEMBER in the story and her birthday is in AUGUST, she's technically 20. I would have made her 2 years older than most of the characters with Kankuro 1 year older in consequence, but that's too complicated and I didn't want you guys to be confused. Don't worry though - this is still a ShikaTema. I'll work it out.  
**(6): **It is illegal. In America. It's labeled as "pedophilia" if someone over 18 is doing something they shouldn't like sex or something or the sort with a minor (17 and under). Though Temari dating Shikamaru if he was 14 and she was 20 wouldn't quite be pedophilia because she's not planning for illegal sex or something else like that.  
**(7): **In the **Naruto** series, Tayuya has a habit of saying "shit" or a variation of it. Her favorite seems to be "shithead".  
**(8): **Yeah. That's right. Kiba used to crush on Hinata. **HE DOESN'T ANYMORE, THOUGH**. This is a **NARUHINA.** He's moved on. Maybe, if I can, I'll find him another lady friend to fall for, but in this story, he used to like Hinata. I did this for plot convenience and to feed a bit of want for my KibaHina fans.  
**(9): **Again, this is a **NARUHINA.** He really IS over her. But face it - Hinata's a very pretty, very nice, very well-developed girl. He has every reason to blush. Plus, the proximity and unexpectedness, like he said. **  
(10): **I'm stressing the **NARUHINA** thing again. Just want to make it clear, okay?

**So. I updated 1**** day early because I'll be at my first Con tomorrow (for more info go above or PM me or ask via review) and yeah.**

**I'm writing a one-shot for Sakura's birthday next week.**

**Can I have at least **3** reviews this time? **4**? Reviews tell me this is worth posting and writing.**

WHO WANTS ME TO POST THIS AND **REWIND** ON MY DEVIANTART ACCOUNT? **I plan to, but it'd be nice if you'd let me know what you thought and if you'd read it there, or something, too.**

Maybe I'll post it on LiveJournal, too. Dunno. Haven't quite figured out the workings of that site yet.

**This week's Weekly Question: **What is your favorite **Naruto** pairing? Care to tell why?

**Love, **

**EOC.**

**REVIEW!**


	25. Chapter 25: Budding Romance & Bromance

**Monday, April 8th, 2013.**

**Sorry for the late update, guys! I finished it though! And I think it was a good chapter; moderately good at least.**

**To** White Tiger**:**

**(1):** You plan/planned on reviewing consistently? Man, I love you, in a totally not-creepy, not-awkward way.  
**(2):** As far as Temari's fan goes, I know she can fly on it, but two people and for a long distance and time probably isn't possible. Although, the forest was pretty close to the arena, so that's why I let them fly over. Plus, it's cool and allows for some ShikaTema inspiration.  
**(3):** Thank you. :)  
**(4):** I love your reviews. :) I don't mind the parantheses. I had a pretty bad habit of using them in everything sometime back, and I had gotten rid of it after a while. But it seems to be coming back...damn it.  
**(5): **I'd love it if you got an account so I could PM you. Your reviews are awesome. :)

**My answer to the** _Question of the Week_**: **It turns out that I had and answered the same question in **ReWind**, so I'll just copy that answer here: _SasuSaku is my favorite Naruto couple. I don't believe Sakura could love anyone else but Sasuke, and I think she's kind of proven that, and Naruto's even accepted that, more or less. And I feel, if Sasuke fell in love with anyone, if he let himself, it'd be with Sakura. I don't feel like going much more into depth about it. And don't you think they'd make a good couple? Obviously you do, if you're here. Plus - they're an amazing couple. Their relationship can be cute, real, dark, and heartwarming - love it._

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, there wouldn't be a filler episode every other episode. Fillers were okay in Part 1, in my opinion, because they were appropriate, entertaining, and ENDED, damn it! These now...WTF are these anime producers thinking?! It's not beneficial to them - less and less people are watching the anime or even STARTING Naruto because of the endless, inappropriately placed, never ending fillers. I used to watch every episode, and now I read the manga and rarely watch an episode because I know it's going to be fillers. Good Lord...

**Excuse the rant. It just really pisses me off.**

**So, read on, my lovelies!**

**And thanks to all that reviewed and to you all, my beloved readers.**

* * *

Chapter 25: Budding Romance | Budding Bromance

* * *

**Shikamaru POV**

"Well," Temari said, snapping me out of my thoughts of what I was going to do next. "That went better than I thought it would."

"What?! How is this better?" I replied, shocked. _Just what did she imagine this fight to be like?_

Here we were, lying, exhausted and slightly injured against a giant tree trunk. Temari had fired her flare gun and now we're waiting for help to arrive.

Now why couldn't we fly on Temari's fan like we did to get here?

Temari's fan is cracked in some places and flying requires, though not much, some chakra. And she can't spare that. Neither can I.

"For starters, neither of us have concussions or bleeding arteries." Temari said.

I cocked my eyebrow, nodding my head to the girl beside me show she would continue.

"We're alive."

I nodded again. _Obviously. __She's being oddly optimistic, though, looking on the bright side of this situation. I guess someone has to be when she has _those two_ for brothers._

"And our main problems are exhaustion, as opposed to a gaping hole in our stomach, hemorrhaging, multiple broken bones, insanity, the like."

"Insanity?" I raise my brow at her.

"What? Genjutsu, if used that way, can drive someone absolutely crazy!"

"Mm-hmm." I agreed quietly. "Here's the proof right next to me." The blonde playfully punched me.

_Thank God she's tired…that would've hurt a lot more. _

I yawned. _Women…so troublesome sometimes._

The next thing I knew the world spun and I found my head resting against something that radiated heat. Not a burning heat, a comforting warm, body heat.

It felt good.

_But what was it?_

I looked up. "Temari?!" _What is she doing?_

"You're tired," she said, nonchalantly. "You can sleep on my legs. Now shut up, would you?"

Her thighs were warm and the fabric of her skirt wasn't itchy against my cheek. It was pretty comfortable. But still…

"Why?" I asked.

"'Cause I want to. Problem? If you want me to be bitchy, I will, but I think I'll be nice for now, so don't screw it up." _That's Temari, all right._

"Thanks." I muttered, my heart racing and my face heating up. I adjusted myself into a comfortable position against her thighs, and at an angle that she couldn't see my face well from. _There's no way I'd let her see me blush!_

Softly, I heard her reply. "You're welcome, Shika." I decided I liked her calling me "Shika". _It…feels nice._

_…I'm going to blame my mushy tone on my half-awake status._

It was different than when Ino called me "Shika", or even Chouji sometimes. Those two…they're my friends, practically my siblings. Ino may be annoying sometimes, but she's still family, and I care. So when she calls me that, I don't feel anything like I do when Temari did.

_She should call me that more often…when we're alone though – Ino'll have a riot, and won't leave me alone._

I felt Temari remove my (very loose) hair tie and weave her fingers through my hair. My brain turned into further mush.

"W-wha-" _Great. I can't speak either._

"Shh…just sleep. I used to do this to Gaara, and occasionally Kankuro when they were little. It helped them sleep." She whispered this.

The feeling of her hands in my hair and on my scalp lulled me to sleep. _Damn…that feels so good…_

She started humming, and I couldn't stay awake any longer.

She did one last thing before I drifted off. "Here's your reward…" I heard her say lowly.

I felt something soft…lips, against my own. If I was more awake, I have no doubt my heart would have thundered and my face would've looked like Ino's that one time Chouji accidentally got barbecue sauce all over a special outfit she had just bought to win Sasuke over, in the academy.  
But I would've been red for an entirely different reason.

_I-is she…?_

She moved her lips along mine for a moment, then slowly pulled away.

I would have kissed her back if I was conscious enough. I don't know why, but I know I would have. _Maybe that's why she did it now…when I was too tired to respond…but why?_

Then, she went back to humming and stroking my hair, like nothing had happened. _Damn her, sometimes…this feels too good…_

Goodbye, Consciousness. The pull of the World of Sleep is much too strong.

_I'll observe these feelings of mine later….for now, I'll just sleep…_

* * *

***Around the time this chapter began***

* * *

**Temari POV**

Here I was, just lying here, gazing at the clouds from against the trunk of a tree on the ground. Sounds fine, right? _I sound like the lazy ass._

But honestly, it was kind of relaxing. _Must be why he does it all the time._

But it'd be better if we (Shikamaru and I) weren't so tired after kicking Pain-in-the-Ass Tayuya just moments ago.

I promised him a reward, hoping it'd be an incentive to try hard. I should've known he wouldn't be the type to fall for it, but his performance was good, and I can't tell if it was because he was genuinely trying or he wanted the reward. _So should I give it to him or not?_

I think our fight was a good one – Tayuya surprised us (well, Shikamaru at least. Me? Not so much) with her ability to control her summons with her flute and with those clear-chakra-monster-things that proved to be difficult.

I don't feel like going into a flashback, so don't expect to get one. _He's really rubbing off on me…_

Anyway, with my help, Shikamaru had been able to figure out how Tayuya was able to manipulate the summons – with her fingers. Her music hardly had anything to do with it. _He may be lazy but he's smart. Scary smart. _

However, after we gotten rid of the summons, Tayuya used a genjutsu on us. Both of us.

I had gotten Shikamaru out of it eventually.

After stabbing myself to wake up from the genjutsu, of course. It wasn't very deep though. That would've been just utterly stupid of me.

Unfortunately for us, afterwards, both of us were pretty drained of our chakra and stamina. He was worse than I was –my fight with him took more out of him than I thought– so I deposited him in a nearby tree where he could watch over me fighting Tayuya, and instruct me if necessary through a comms unit I stole from some Sand Nin's ninja pouch when he wasn't looking.

What? He was the enemy! He's a traitor in my eyes, and a traitor is no brethren of mine! Forget nationality!

*cough*

Moving on.

I also left my fan with Shikamaru – one of Tayuya's summons cracked parts of it, and I can't use it again until I fix it. _There goes our ride._

Anyway, next, Tayuya decided to go into her Second Level of the curse form.

So naturally, I summoned my favorite little buddy – my weasel summon, Kamatari. **(1)**

Since, like I said, I couldn't use my fan, I had to fight Tayuya head on with Kamatari.

Soon, the fight was over with a swift kick to the head on my part, and a clawed swipe to the stomach on Kamatari's. _Good boy!_

I thanked him, and sent him back to wherever-the-hell he goes when I don't have him summoned. _Sakura says there's a frog world where Jiraiya and Naruto's summons are from, and that the 3__rd__'summon, Enma is the Monkey King. He must have his own realm. Maybe there's a weasel realm?_

Exhausted, I leaned against the trunk of the nearest tree, on the ground. Shikamaru, having gained some of his strength back, climbed down his tree and sat next to me.

I fired the flare gun into the sky.

"So that's what the colors were for," I said. "The flare guns were to give our location to the Jounin, and our colors represented who was at which flare."

I nodded.

For a while, we sat in silence.

Then I spoke.

"Well," I spoke. "That went better than I thought it would."

"What?! How is this better?" Shikamaru replied, shocked. _I can imagine what he's thinking: "if this is 'better', just how bad did she think this was going to be like?!"_

"For starters, neither of us have concussions or bleeding arteries," I said, naming off reasons for why this was better than I originally predicted. _I'm feeling particularly optimistic right now…sort of. _

He nodded

"We're alive." _Obviously._

He nodded again.

"And our main problems are exhaustion, as opposed to a gaping hole in our stomach, hemorrhaging, multiple broken bones, insanity, the like."

"Insanity?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"What? Genjutsu, if used that way, can drive someone absolutely crazy!" I said defensively. _It can!_

"Mm-hmm." He muttered quietly. "Here's the proof right next to me." I playfully punched him. Or not playfully. Who knows.

I, for the most part, was fine. No major injuries except for a broken arm and wrist – one of the summons had broken them when I tried to attack it. It was the same one that broke my fan.

Other than those bones, I was fine – shallow cuts and scratches, bruises, and a few shallow stab wounds are all I have. Exhaustion and charka depletion are my main problems, other than the broken arm and wrist.

Shikamaru hadn't suffered many injuries, simply minor ones. A couple broken fingers – I broke one to snap him out of the genjutsu. A stab wound in both on one of his feet and abdomen – albeit shallow. Also, he had some cuts and bruises here and there. Exhaustion is his main problem, as well as chakra depletion, like me.

Shikamaru yawned.

I decided to do something impulsive.

I swiftly pull Shikamaru unto my lap with my good hand.

He looked up. "Temari?!"

"You're tired," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "You can sleep on my legs. Now shut up, would you?"

His face told him he was still skeptical about it. _Why does he have to analyze __**everything**__? I mean, it's kind of attractive that he likes to think thing through but-…! _

_…Forget that last part. Please._

"Why?" He asked, still skeptical.

"'Cause I want to. Problem? If you want me to be bitchy, I will, but I think I'll be nice for now, so don't screw it up." _I think that was pretty in-character of me._

"Thanks." He muttered.

I felt his heart race through my thighs, and I saw his face heat up. He tried to hide it by adjusting himself comfortably on me, but I still saw it. _That's cute, I'll admit._

It felt good with him so close to me. _I'm blaming my mushy-ness on my exhausted status._

Softly, I replied. "You're welcome, Shika."

It also felt good calling him that. I don't say it often, but when I do, I get this tingly feeling…and I kind of like it.

_I think I'll do it more often…but only when we're alone. Ino will have a heyday._

Unable to resist, I took out Shikamaru's very loose hair tie, weaving my hands through his hair and across his scalp. _His hair very nice, oddly enough. It feels silkier out of the hair tie. Though I wonder how it sticks out the way it does while in a ponytail..._

"W-wha-" Shikamaru stuttered. He must have been surprised, but I think he liked it. He shivered when I did it.

I interrupted his stuttering.

"Shh…just sleep. I used to do this to Gaara, and occasionally Kankuro when they were little. It helped them sleep," I whispered, faintly reminiscing nights sleeping with my brothers, telling them bedtime stories, and playing with their hair while humming them to sleep. _Back then, I didn't have to worry very much about Gaara having nightmares, or not sleeping at all. We were a small, kind of happy, family…_

I started humming, and I knew Shikamaru was a goner. I could see him fighting sleep furiously, but losing terribly.

But I decided to do one last thing before the fight was over.

I leaned down, lowly whispering, "Here's your reward…"

I pressed my lips softly against his, moving them gently. After a little less than I moment, I pulled away, slowly.

Afterwards, I was blushing furiously and had the urge to touch my lips. _Why?! I've kissed plenty of guys before him, and even had a couple of boyfriends! Why am I so flustered by kissing him…they never felt like _**this**_ either…I like this better…_

Then, like nothing had ever happened, I played with Shikamaru's hair and started humming again.

I watched as he drifted off to sleep.

_I kissed him when I did on purpose…I don't know what I would've done if he had pushed me away…_

Soon, I fell asleep against the bark of the tree, deciding to think over my feelings –_Damn, do I feel girly!_– some other time.

Now was the time to rest.

* * *

**Kiba POV**

"Ugh." Kankuro grunted, adjusting my weight as he carried me.

"We won, man. Lighten up," I said, thinking over our fight.

I had opened up to Kankuro a bit more. He's not that bad – he just grew a bit bitter after having to live the life he did and the pain his family had felt. I almost feel bad.

Almost. He's still an ass, though.

I think we made a connection though. I don't think we're friends yet, but it's possible. Maybe someday soon.

"We may have won, but you and Akamaru together are effing heavy." He said.

The three of us had been able to defeat Sakon and Ukon, like we had promised to Hinata.

However, in the process, I had suffered some internal injuries – injuries that seemed to have effected my nervous system. In my legs, at least.

You see, Ukon, with his creepy ability to grow from my body by "attaching my chemical proteins to his" or something like that, had nearly killed me.

Kankuro was busy with the younger brother, Sakon, to be able to help me.

So, I was on my own, with Akamaru out of commission. He was knocked unconscious, and at first, I had thought he was dead.

However, I had decided to stab myself multiple times to force Ukon out of my body through pain. Before it got too much, however, he had done something in my spine, controlling the proteins in there or something, and had almost snapped it.

Luckily, he hadn't and my spine was still totally intact, albeit sore. But whatever he did had made me slowly lose feeling in my legs. For some reason, I don't feel what he did was too life-threatening and serious, so I'm pretty calm about.

That doesn't mean I'm not pissed, though.

Anyway, using the last moments I had, I was able to finish Ukon off with the last of Akamaru's strength, using Gatsuuga.

That guy was a creep and a serious pain in my ass.

Afterwards, was sprawled on the ground, no feeling in one leg and losing it on the other, waiting for Kankuro to get his ass over here and help me.

He came soon enough, but he wasn't very well off either. For starters, his makeup was wiped off, he was wet (which is how his makeup came off, I assume), his clothes were torn, his fingers bleeding (from his chakra strings, may), a bruise on his face, and I could see some blood leaking through his clothes.

He dragged Sakon's body over to Ukon's, throwing him unceremoniously over his brother's body. I grinned. _Those assholes deserve it._

Without his makeup though, I couldn't recognize him**(2)** and raised hell about who he was and what he'd done to Kankuro (he was still wearing his clothes and had a mangled puppet thing on his back).

It took a bit longer than I'd like to admit for him to convince me he was still Kankuro.

He was still pretty well off, though, and still had some strength left.

And that's how he ended up carrying me along the forest.

"Can't we ride on one of your puppets? One of them is big enough, right?" I asked. I hated to sound like I cared, but we were never going to get very far at this rate.

"I broke one, cracked another, and the last one wouldn't be able to carry our weight. So no."

I sighed. _Well I tried._

I looked over at Akamaru. He was wrapped around in my jacket, in a bundle sort of thing, hanging from Kankuro's neck. He needed his arms to support me and himself, and he couldn't hold Akamaru on his head – his swaying would knock him off. So bundle it was.

I don't know how he did it, but he did, and it worked. So I didn't complain.

I did laugh though, which he didn't appreciate.

He dropped me, which wasn't fun. So I shut up.

Soon though, we (he) couldn't go on any longer, so he stopped and deposited us down against a tree trunk. He unwrapped my jacket from his neck and placed the Bundle of Akamaru on my lap.

He sighed and slumped against the tree trunk.

Luckily, we were close to the edge of the forest and near the Arena. We'd have a better chance of somebody spotting us and getting help, for whatever reason they may be there.

I suddenly remembered something.

I dug through my jacket, being careful of Akamaru.

Then, I found it.

"What's that?" Kankuro asked.

"A flare gun."

"For what?"

"Hinata gave it to me before she left.**(3)** She told me to fire it after we were done with our fight, signaling our location to the sensei or somebody to pick us up if we couldn't get to the hospital or village ourselves."

"Then fire it!"

"I am! Geez...impatient much?"

So I did fire it, and a royal blue streak shot through the air. _Nice choice of color, Hinata._

Afterwards, I put the flare gun aside, and adjusted myself against the tree.

"Now all we can do is wait."

"Yeah," replied. "I'm gonna sleep. I'm tired as hell."

"Me, too." I replied.

We mumbled some sort of awkward "g'nights" –it was the afternoon, that's weird– and the both of us drifted off to sleep, Akamaru safe and warm in my arms.

* * *

**(1): **Kamatari is the name of Temari's weasel summon. His name's a play off the fact that he carries a scythe; _"kamaitachi"_ literally means scythe weasel, so "Kamatari" was derived from that. If any of you read/watch Soul Eater, Maka's name is an anagram (is that the right word?) from the Japanese word for "scythe", since she wields a scythe (Soul) and her father is one (Spirit). Maka's just "Kama" with the letters mixed up.**  
(2): **He really looks a hell of a lot different without his make up. A carbon copy of his father. In fact, in a Shippuden picture of his without his make up, I thought he WAS his father, and I freaked out because he's supposed to be dead. Then I realized it was Kankuro and he looked too young to be his father. Look it up. That's probably why Kankuro wears the makeup - he doesn't want to look like his father.  
**(3): **I forgot to include that in the last chapter. Sorry guys. So I inserted it here.

**I originally wrote Shikamaru and Temari's part differently, explaining the fight from the beginning, but it was awful, so I re-wrote it and had Temari explain what happened differently instead. I think it turned out pretty well.**

**I noticed I'm slowly getting to the couples as they appear in my story. First SasuSaku, though it officially started around chapter 17. Then SaIno, NejiTen (and lots of it), ItaHana, and now ShikaTema. I guess that's an okay system.**

**By what I'm planning, GaaMatsu and SasuSaku are next. After the Chunin Exams, NaruHina will finally bloom.**

**I also noticed that there's a lot more NejiTen than any other couple here. I guess it's because they're already being focused, I love the couple, and I'm starved of NejiTen. I believe you manga readers know why. I need all the NejiTen I can get.**

**Question of the Week:**_ Is there a pet peeve or something you hate or dislike about the **Naruto** series? A character? Character development? Certain fillers? What?_

**Adios, my lovelies!**

**And remember, **REVIEW**!**

**Reviews tell me this stuff is worth it, help me update faster, and make me happy. They also make my writing better because I know what you all want and like.**

**BTW, did you all like the chapter title?**

**-Cherry.**


	26. Chapter 26: Of Curse Marks & Romance

**Sunday, April 21st, 2013.**

**Hey guys! New chapter today!**

**I know I said that I'd add Matsuri and stuff, but I ended up not doing that. I started out with near writer's block and ended up with 4.5k words off just SasuSaku, really.**

**I hope you enjoy it regardless - this _is_ a SasuSaku story after all, and it's supposed to be the main couple. But it's a couple I haven't focused much on until now because I had to give other characters and the plot some light.**

**So...I hope you enjoy.**

Answer to last Question of the Week: **Two words: Inappropriate fillers. Now don't get me wrong - I don't hate all fillers. In fact, I love quite a few of them. But here's where the "inappropriate" part comes in: like I said in the last chapter, fillers, to be good has to follow certain lines. It has to END - it can't drag on for what seems to be forever. Where it is placed has to be appropriate, too, which is the main part. Like now in the war...every episode seems to be filler. At least one of them that I watched was about ALREADY CREATED CHARACTERS. It focused on the love of Hayate Gekko and his fiancee, who's name escapes me at the moment. Yuna? Maybe. But yeah...I think I already talked about fillers in the other chapter. But I don't hate them, like I said. These latest ones piss me off though because they're **innappropriate**. ****  
**

**Also, thank you **White Tiger of Onyx Star** for getting an account. I have a way to contact you now. :D**

**Thank you, my beloved reviewers and readers, as usual, for giving this story a piece of your time.**

Disclaimer: **Nope. It's still not mine yet, guys.**

**Since I have 99 reviews at the moment, I want to get this out:**

**IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT!**

My 100th reviewer will get a one-shot with any couple I ship dedicated to them - basically all the couples here and some others. The plot will be up to them, but be warned - **I can't write about I couple I don't ship at least a little bit.** I just can't. If I don't believe in it, I won't write it. So that means no ItaSaku, InoShika (I may be lenient on that one, knowing how popular it is), any yaoi or yuri couples (as I've stated before, yaoi and yuri aren't my style), SasuHina, NaruSaku, etc. Kay?

**So yeah. Go 100th reviewer!**

**Same thing goes for 150th, 200th if I get that much, etc. **

**The 50th reviewer of ReWind will get the same treatment.**

**So yeah...SasuSaku galore! Enjoy!**

**And don't forget to review!**

* * *

Chapter 26: Of Curse Marks and Romance

**Sakura POV**

"We need to get out of here, Sasuke-kun!" I shouted, pulling said boy along with me, away from one of Orochimaru's snakes that was chasing us for a reason lost to me.

When Naruto and I found Sasuke and Gaara, the two were engaged in a battle – Gaara partially transformed, while Sasuke's curse mark had already spread to half of his body. It was obvious Sasuke was fighting a losing fight.

Naruto had distracted Gaara and engaged him in battle, while I dragged Sasuke away as quickly as I could.

However, there was no sign of Matsuri anywhere. She hadn't reached here yet. _That can't be right…she left first, she should be here!_

**_Something must have happened. You know her, how much she loves Gaara – if she could've helped it, Gaara would be calm right now and with her. But obviously, that hasn't happened. Maybe someone intercepted her…_**

_We can only hope she's alright, since we are busy with Sasuke._

**_Yeah…_**

"Sakura…" Sasuke hissed, gripping his shoulder tightly and gritting his teeth. _Of all times for the curse mark to act up!_

I took us behind a conveniently large tree, even for this forest. I cast a genjutsu to distract anyone or any_thing_ coming our way, and sat us down.

"Is the curse mark acting up, Sasuke-kun? Do you have any injuries?" I asked, sitting in front of him, while looking him over for any large gashes. _Stupid question…of course it's acting up!_

Thankfully, I only saw a couple scratches and bruises, but judging from his breathing pattern, he either got punched in the gut _really_ hard or one of his ribs are cracked.

I hope it's the former.

"Yeah…a-and no, just bruises and shit…" He hissed again. _Just how much pain is he in? Sasuke doesn't use curse words that loosely…well, he uses them, but not __**that**__ loosely._

"No cracked ribs? Your breathing…" I said, wiping sweat from his brow, formulating a plan slowly.

"Maybe…"

I pulled Sasuke to me, pulling his hand away from his shoulder, and swayed softly as I held him, reminding me of the night in the tent that he let me in for the first time.

Meanwhile, I healed the cracked rib after searching for it for a moment. I couldn't do it completely due to our position, and I wanted to concentrate on Sasuke himself now.

"Deep breaths, Sasuke-kun...deep breaths…I'm here…" _I can't believe I can't do much more than this! I'm so useless…_

Following my command, he calmed down slowly, and the curse mark retreated to his neck and left side of his jaw, just creeping up to his cheek. I kissed his hair softly. _Oh, Sasuke…I'm sorry…_

**_But why isn't the curse mark completely gone? I mean, I don't understand why it retreated _**_now_**_ but why not completely?_**

_Orochimaru must be close, fighting the Third…that bastard!_

He wrapped his arms around my waist for a moment, pulling me closer to him, and digging his face deeper into my neck, the side of his neck with the curse mark exposed.

Momentarily, I relished in our closeness, then sobered for both our sakes. _This isn't going to be easy…we have to make it around the Third and Orochimaru's fight, without anything happening, and get to the village to assist in its protection. If one of us is too injured, we need to head to the hospital._

When his breathing calmed, Sasuke pulled away, and shakily stood. He pulled me up with him. "We need to get going," he said.

I nodded, and we jumped into the trees, wary for anything that could get in our way. I slowed down though – Sasuke was still winded from the pain of the curse mark.

We almost made it around the fight of Lord Hokage and Orochimaru –or what we _assumed_ to be their fight, from the voices and sounds of debris falling, explosions and destroyed forest– before a snake had wrapped itself around my throat. **_Yup…Oreo's nearby alright._**

"Got you, girly," it said.

The snake was too thick for me to wrap my arms around it and pull it off. It was the same one that was chasing us earlier. It was also strong and I was more concentrating on breathing. Since I need to breath and all…

I noticed absently that it slipped something white into my pouch.

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled. "Get off of her!" he said, pulling a kunai from his pouch.

I saw with dread that his curse mark was quickly spreading to his body, going as far as down his body and to the right side of his face. Luckily, his whole body wasn't covered with the dark marks – part of his right side and his arm were still bare.

"Ah, ah, ah!" the snake said. "One move and I kill her, boy." It tightened its hold.

Sasuke stopped his advance toward us, and put the kunai away. But the dark anger in his eyes did not vanished. Instead it grew. _No, Sasuke-kun…Why am I so useless? I can't do anything!_

The lack of oxygen reaching my brain led me to fall to my knees. The snake made sure I could still breath just enough to stay alive, torturing me.

"I. **Said**," Sasuke emphasized darkly. "Get. **Off. **Of. Her."

His voice sounded just like when it did when the curse mark first took over, in the Forest of Death; dark, and almost…evil. It frightened me more than a death via snake suffocation. **(1)**

"Oh, I will," the snake said. "Right after thissss!" It leaped off of me and lunged toward Sasuke, spitting something _very_ small and very round from its mouth and into Sasuke's. **_EW!_**

Then, it bit Sasuke's neck before he could move away. At the exact place Orochimaru did. He screamed.

Soon, the snake dropped from Sasuke's neck and onto the ground. I quickly ran over, my breath almost back, and sliced its head off.

"Double injection…just to be safe…" it said, its life slowly sapping away. **_It's kind of creepy watching a snake talk after its head is cut off._**(2)

"You will be Orochimaru-sama's soon, bo-" I threw another kunai at its mouth, shutting it and taking away the little life the snake had left.

I pulled Sasuke onto my back, mentally thanking my abnormal strength and training, and ran as fast as I could out of the forest.

* * *

Once we were out of the forest and past the arena, I ran to the closest place we could be safe – a discreet single story motel that was empty. Everyone was out fighting the Sound and Sand nin.

I took us to the closest room, and deposited Sasuke on one of the beds, rushing to the bathrooms for a first-aid kit.

Once I found it, I went into the mini-fridge for bottled water.

I rushed back to bed, and maneuvered Sasuke's back against the headboard, pulling both our shoes off and taking place on the bed beside him.

"Sa..ku-…ra!" He grunted out. He continued to scream in pain, and from my panic and worry for him, tears started to flow from my cheeks. But I ignored them.

"Sasuke-kun! What's going on with you?!"

It occurred to me that what he swallowed from the snake must be doing this to him and is connected to the curse mark, since it was fluctuating sporadically - moving quickly and all over Sasuke's body while glowing red.

Then, I had a flash of a memory – but it wasn't mine.

_Itachi must have sent it…is it..Sasuke-kun's?_

The memory was of Sasuke taking the very same pill that he had just swallowed, surrounded by the SN4. Just like this time, the pills caused him immediate pain, and he fell to the ground in pain just like he did this time.

But in the memory, he fainted. Quickly, the SN4 stuffed him into a covered in seals barrel and ran off into the night.

_"You need to die once, to reach the final level of the mark…" _Sakon had said.

Suddenly, I was reminded of the paper slipped into my pouch by the snake.

Hoping it had answers, I pulled it out, unfolded it, and read it.

_The pill and poison injected by the snake is not going to kill Sasuke. That is…if he's strong enough. Which I'm sure he is._

_He will survive it and come to me soon, little girl. _

_He will advance to the second level of the curse mark. Tranforming into a beast that will quickly change your pretty little mind about your childish feelings about him. Of course, if they didn't change, that'd make things more interesting, wouldn't it?_

_But be warned Haruno Sakura…I know there is something different about you, and I will find out what. I will kill you if you get in my way. Or worse…_

_-Orochimaru._

**_That sick bastard gave us a letter?! And he knows we care about Sasuke romantically? Creep!_**

_At least now we know what it does…it confirms what the memories said…_

Whether the pain lessened or Sasuke grew tired, his screams were reduced to whimpers, groans, and the occasional yelp.

I grabbed a cloth and wiped his brow, taking time to clean and bandage the cuts that he had, softly and soothingly; I didn't want to make him suffer more.

I put the first aid kit, and made Sasuke take a sip of water. His sounds afterward were less hoarse.

I pulled the sheets over his body on the bed, and climbed in with him, having him lean against my chest while I caressed his hair.

He gripped my other hand tightly, and I did the same.

"It'll be okay…I'll be right here with you the whole time…don't worry, Sasuke-kun…I'm here…" Were some of the things I said continuously like a mantra. _For him,_ and_ for me. _

After what felt like an hour –but could've been 10 minutes– Sasuke started screaming again, and the curse mark acted up once more.

I panicked, my mind scrambling at something I could do for him. _What can I do? What can I do?!_

**_We need...we need to distract him!_**

_R-right! Distracting him will take his mind off the p-pain! A-and then, we can make him f-fall asleep._

Even in my head I was a mess, and the urge to cry was getting stronger. But I couldn't cry – I couldn't show weakness anymore. I need to do _something_.

"Sakura…Sak-…Sakura!...Stay….please!" Sasuke ground out, pulling me closer to him violently. It occurred to me that my presence, somehow, must calm him.

Maybe I was right, because the curse mark, which was reaching his right forearm, retreated back to his right shoulder; it continued to glow however, and he in turn, continued to scream.

But soon after, his curse mark started spreading around his body again.

And then, as if this situation couldn't get any worse, and his screaming couldn't get any louder, it seemed that the seal that Kakashi placed on Sasuke's curse mark was…burning away. Glowing just like the curse mark did around his body, but disappearing, spiraling, away. _Kakashi-sensei's seal is disappearing? Is whatever's happening too much for it or what?!_

Sasuke's screams increased, and so did his anguish.

_The distraction! I need…a distraction…something to shock his senses into thinking about something else…_

Before I knew it, my lips were on Sasuke's, kissing him.

When I realized it, I was shocked, but I didn't stop. _He froze…I guess that was really surprising for him._

I cracked open one of my eyes –_when had I closed them?_– and saw that the curse mark was somehow merging with his skin, but he didn't seem to be in pain.

At least, not in as much as before. He wasn't screaming anymore, for instance. For obvious reasons

Slowly, getting over his shock, Sasuke kissed back, and his other arm made its way around my waist. He pulled me on top of him, remaining on his back. I weaved my fingers into his hair. _**I can't believe it...he's kissing us back!**_

Our kiss slowed. It held no lust.

There was love from my side, as well as worry. Through the kiss, I could almost feel the pain Sasuke was feeling, and the feelings of want I knew he must have had: the want – no, _need_ to be loved, after losing it so harshly at the Massacre; want for a refuge, in all his pain, not just physical pain; and more that I can't identify but made my heart twist painfully.

So I gave that refuge to him. I gave him that love. The best I could right now. _I'd give him almost anything he wants. Almost. As long as it doesn't hurt him or Naruto… And I know it's pathetic, how much I am a slave to my love for him, how much I hurt for him, without him even knowing it, but it's something I've come to deal with for years. If he's happy, and if Naruto's happy…if the ones I love most are happy, nothing else matters. __**Nothing**__._

Suddenly, Sasuke jerked upward, almost as if in pain, and our lips separated. I heard a loud ripping sound as almost fell off the bed.

Sasuke, seemingly coherent again but panting heavily, pulled me back into the bed.

We both looked behind him.

There were large….claw-like marks in the bed and through a few of the pillows where Sasuke's back was only seconds before.

I turned to the boy himself.

He was staring his at his hands in horror, staring at his transformed body. "W-what i-is this?!" He yelled.

His skin was a gray sort of color, his lips blue. His hair was a much lighter blue, and it was much longer and spiked violently outwards.

He had a black four-pointed star on the bridge of his nose and across his cheek bones. The part of his eyes that should've been white was now black, and his normally incredibly-dark irises were replaced by a startling gold color.

It occurred to me that this must be Sasuke's second level of the Curse Mark. Karin told me it looked different for everyone, and I couldn't help but think, as much as I hate to admit it…_Sasuke still looks handsome like this. Even transformed, Sasuke is still good…stupid Uchiha blood._

And on his back, however, wing-like, were two pairs of grotesque, webbed hands.

Finally, here's the kicker: you know the seal, Kakashi's seal to repress the curse mark?

Gone.

* * *

**Sasuke's POV**

_Wh-what j-just happened to me?!_

**_Calm down, calm down! NOW, OUTER!_**

_Calm down? How can you expect me to calm down **when** **I look like a monster**!_

Behind Sakura, across the bed on the wall, was a large mirror, and in it, I could see my horrific transformation.

The "wings" were the most terrible. They were frightening, grotesque, and worst of all…throughout my horror, I've been feeling this surge of power through me and I hate to say that it felt-, no…_feels_….almost **delicious**.

A dark voice in my head, other than mine and my Inner's, has been whispering about the power surging through me, telling me to let _It_ take over and get rid of "the pink nuisance" in front of me.

My breathing escalated.

**_You're having a panic attack! Calm down!_**

But I didn't listen. _I'm a monster! How could Sakura stand to be so close to me like this?! SEE? Even __**she's **__looking at me like I'm a disgusting-….__**thing**__!_

**_She's just as shocked as you are! Now shut up and calm down! I'm a little busy fending off the _**Thing**_ in our head – he's trying to get you to lose control and get rid of me! I'll be gone for a while, Outer…_**

I couldn't stay calm, I couldn't. Could you? _H-how did this _**HAPPEN**_?!_

"Sasu- Sasuke-kun! Calm down, please calm down!" Sakura said, trying to take hold of my arms and keep me still.

_How could she stand to be so close to me?!_

I pushed her away, trying to get as far away from her as possible. I found myself against the headboard of the bed, but I was so panicked, I couldn't tell myself to turn the other way and get off the bed.

"Get away, get _away_!" I screamed. "I'm a monster, GET AWAY!"

I kept screaming that for what felt like hours, but what was probably a couple minutes, fighting Sakura to keep her away from me for her own good. _She doesn't deserve to have to deal with a demon! She deserves better…get away from me, Sakura!_

"Sasuke-kun! It's okay, it's okay!" She tried telling me, but I refused to listen.

Then, in the midst of trying to keep her away from me, one of my claws dug into her right arm, leaving a long, thin, but relatively deep gash on her arm. One of my wings' claws also accidentally pierced her left shoulder.

She screamed in pain. My blood ran cold. _I didn't-…I didn't m-mean t-to…I-…_

Pulling my hand away from her and moving my body away –to remove the claw out of her shoulder– I froze, and I could feel my throat constrict and eyes and nose burn.

"S-s-see? T-told you…I'm a m-monster…you should stay away…a b-beast…I'm a beast, Sakura…d-don't you s-see?" I hate to say it, but I was doing my best not to let any tears fall. _I hurt her…I hurt her! She did nothing but help me and I **HURT HER**!_

**_Didn't it feel good? Why not do it again? Bite her on her neck, even; claim her as yours…she should know who she belongs, to, Sasuke. Why not show her?_**

_Who are you? Shut up!_

It must have been the invader that Inner talked about…but its voice didn't stop me from trying to climb off the bed and away from this motel room – and as far away as possible.

But before I could, Sakura, wincing, grabbed my hand and pulled me back onto the bed.

**_Now! Take her now, Sasuke!_**

_Be quiet! _

**_NOW, Sasuke!_**

_Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!_

I didn't realize tears were falling until I felt Sakura wiping them away.

"It's okay," she said, giving me a comforting smile. "I'm not leaving you. I'm right here; it's okay now."

I gave up on trying to keep her away from me. I need her right now. I need her.

She pulled me into her arms, and I buried my head in her neck, crying my heart out.

I cried for the fear, pain, and misery I felt now. I cried for all of the pain I felt at my brother's betrayal; the pain of the broken bond between myself and Inuzuka's – the break that my brother caused, but I fed.

I thought I had cried for all my pain before, in the tent that night with Sakura. I guess I had more than I thought.

But this time, I also cried for the way I treated Sakura before, the way I treated Naruto and others before I had gotten to know them.

I cried for my mother, who had lost her eldest son, most of her family, and is always doing her best for me.

I cried for my father, who had done the best he could for his clan only for almost all of them to be killed by the prodigy and successor; his son.

I cried for Shisui and Hana – who had lost a friend, a love, and a brother.

I cried for anything I could and couldn't think of.

Being here, in Sakura's arms again, I didn't care. I was just grateful she didn't seem frightened of me.

And throughout all of my tears, she whispered kind words into my ears; "Let it all out, Sasuke-kun," "It's okay, now," "I'm here." She also weaved her fingers through my transformed hair, which still soothed me, regardless of the color, length, and texture.

* * *

When I stopped, we laid there on the bed, silent.

But I needed to know what happened to my body.

"S-Sakura?" I asked, tentatively. My voice still shook, but it was much steadier now than earlier.

She looked up at me.

"What…happened… to me? Do you know, Sakura?" She nodded.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun! I'm sorry…I'm sorry I couldn't do anything!" She said, and I could hear easily that she was doing her best to hold back tears. _But why? She have a right to cry in a situation like this, why **now?**_

"What? What do you mean?" _Is there anything she could have done? But how does she know what happened to me?_

"It's the…It's the second level of the curse seal, Sasuke-kun. It merged with your body. I'm surprised you're in control of yourself now…Karin said-" she cut herself off.

"She said what?" _I need to know…I need to know!_

"Karin used to be an experiment of Orochimaru's, and she said for everyone with the curse mark, there comes a level two curse form, whether or not you awaken it. Your chakra and strength is multiplied by ten, and anyone in the form transforms after their marks of the curse encase their whole bodies." She paused and took a deep breath, still holding her tears and sobs in. "Everyone's appearance is different. She described what some others looked like, and she knew it'd happen to you…I've never seen anyone like this before, but I _know_ this is the 2nd level."

"Why aren't you scared of me?" I blurted out. I couldn't help myself. "I look like a monster! A fucking _demon,_ Sakura!" My voice broke, and I wanted to beat the shit out of myself for sounding so weak…and letting those fears out.  
I'm going to put aside the fact that I was _sobbing_ moments before and replace it with my fear of her leaving. _Why'd I ask? She's sure to leave now!_

"I-I'll admit, I was a bit frightened when I first saw your transformation. But…it was more out of surprise and fear for you, I wasn't really that scared. I'm not now." She said, wrapping her arms tight around my body, her cheek against my clothed chest. "Even now, somehow…you're still handsome, like always. I'll admit the wings freak me out, though."

I was stunned. Truly stunned. "…What?"

**_So she finds us handsome, does she? Oh, wait. We already knew that._**

_Not now, Inner!_

"Beneath all of that, you're still Sasuke-kun. And best of all, you're in control of yourself! Th-that has to c-count for something, r-right?" She couldn't hold the tears back anymore, sobbing in my chest.

As much as I wanted to lean back on the backboard and hold her, I couldn't because I didn't know how to control those…wings. _I've done enough damage to this bed._

And just as that thought crossed my mind, the wings retracted into my back. It wasn't pleasant, but it didn't hurt very much, and before I knew it, I was falling backwards.

Into the pillows, thank goodness.

Sakura, surprised, let out a yelp and fell on top of my chest, and as I realized later, on my lips, too.

_It was on accident!_, I told myself. But then, I felt it.

She was kissing me again. Kissing the abomination I've become. Not. Caring. At all.

And I kissed her back.

I wrapped my arms around my waist, and she had her arms in my hair again; I'm think she does that because she remembers how much I enjoyed it that night in the tent.

I was careful of her shoulder and arm. When I thought about them again, I had flinched and tried to pull away, but Sakura pressed harder to my lips, so I couldn't.

Soon, I forgot about the injuries I inflicted, though. _What can you expect? I'm a healthy 14-year-old boy kissing a pretty –not now, Inner– girl for the second time of my life while she's on top of me on a bed. Alone. Why complain? Shit…now I sound like a pervert...like Naruto… _

**_Forget him! Like you said, you're lip-locking with a pretty girl that _****likes you****_! Don't think about anything else!_**

But I couldn't help but wonder…_I know she __**may**__ like me, but are her feelings stronger than a crush? Is that why she's kissing me now? And before? Or was before just to shock my brain and forget the pain?_

**_Whatever it was, it worked._**

_By the way, did that Voice win whatever battle you had? It invaded my head earlier._

**_I tried. It's here to stay, man, as much as I hate to say it. I don't think it'll show up much though…just in your curse mark forms, and…_**

_"And" what?_

**_…Around Sakura…maybe._**

_…Of course, _I thought sarcastically. _Why, though?_

**_Anyway, _**_It__** knows that we feel **__something__** for Sakura. Whether it's a crush if that much, or more, **__It__** knows and It also knows Sakura cares about you a lot. It knows all about us; me and you. It **__wants__** Sakura…It wants her gone, or, It wants her in a way I can't understand. Or It wants **_**you****_ to want her. I don't get it._**

_What do you mean "want"?_

**_Not sure myself…I don't know if "want" means sexually, or like a possession, or what, Outer! Just be careful around It, 'kay? I think It could take you over if you let It…don't._**

_…I won't._

**_Good. Now shut up and let's kiss her. _**

Which I continued to do, by the way. This time, I learned to breathe through my nose during the kiss, so it would last longer. _So sue me, I like it._

When we pulled away, needing air –Inner was damning the necessity of oxygen like the pervert he was– I thought about what my Inner said, about what we feel for Sakura.

I'll admit I do. Something. But love? I don't know. Doubt it. I think I like her. Okay? There.

That certainly explains what I was feeling back on that one mission with that Kino bastard…God, I hate him. Well, maybe hate's too strong a word. I reserve that for other people...

"Strong dislike" it is, I guess.

**_He hasn't done anything to you. You're just jealous._**

_…_

**_Thought so._**

_I still don't like him._

I started when Sakura climbed off the bed. "W-where are going?" _I'm not panicked. I'm not. Really._

**_Looks like Mr. Tsundere's back, everybody!_**_(3)_

_Shut up._

Sakura turned to me, surprised, and then smiled. "I'm not leaving. I'm just going to get a wet cloth for…um…"

"Oh," I said dumbly. _Right…I hurt her…_

When she came back, she took the cloth and wiped the blood away from her legs and arms, and I held her steady by her shoulders just in case she fell off the bed. She _was_ sitting on the edge after all.

**_You keep telling yourself that._**

After she was done with cleaning and healing her wounds with medical ninjutsu –_Now that I think about it, I should ask her about that–_ I blurted out an apology.

"I-I'm sorry, Sakura." I said, looking away. "I didn't mean…I didn't mean to hurt you."

She looked shocked for a moment, then patted my cheek, turning it towards her. "It's alright. I know you didn't. I'm fine now, alright?"

I nodded.

Deciding to change the subject, I asked her a question.

"Sakura…" I asked, as we sat next to each other against the headboard of the bed again, propped against the pillows.

"Yeah?" She was drawing circles on my right hand, holding it, and it calmed my still-jumpy nerves somehow. But only a little bit.

"How do I turn back? Did Karin tell you?" Her face grew sad again, even though she tried to hide it. _She's too easy to read sometimes._

"I…don't know. She said the people she saw were experienced with it if they were in control of themselves, so I assume they just transformed back on their own. If they couldn't control themselves, she said, they turned back in their sleep after tiring out from rampaging." She explained. "So…the only thing I could think of is willing yourself to transform back."

"And how do I do that?" I said, harshly.

_I'm not trying to be mean…I'm just…frustrated, _I thought, when she looked hurt.

**_And she's just trying to help. Man…why're you such an ass all the time?_**

"Sorry," I said quietly.

"It's okay." Sakura said, offering me a quick, small smile. My heart skipped a beat. _It wasn't because of the smile…it was just the prospect of being able to change back, is all; that made my heart beat like that._

**_Damn, you're hopeless, aren't you?_**

"But as far as transforming back goes…maybe commanding your body mentally will turn you back? It's worth a try, isn't it?"

I sighed, but tried it.

* * *

It took a while.

A while full of repetitive mantras and ridiculous mental commands to my body to turn back.

Then, I tried closing my eyes, concentrating. I imagined my normal self and concentrated hard on that image.

I opened my eyes when I felt my body changing.

"It worked!" Sakura cheered, smiling.

I nodded. "Aa," I said.

She pouted. "Great. I had you speaking sentences before and now you're back to your monosyllabic speech pattern."

I shrugged. "Hn."

She rolled her eyes.

But then, her face became solemn, thinking deeply.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

"What to do now…are you able to fight?"

I nodded.

"Then are you alright with heading into the village and fighting off the invasion?"

"Aa," I said.

"Then let's go!" She jumped off the bed, grabbed her things, stuffed them in her pouches, and put her shoes on.

I did the same and was about to follow her out of the room when she stopped, searching her pockets for money, and pulled out a couple bills. However, her face fell at the sight of them.

"Not nearly enough to pay for what we did to the room," she said, pouting.

I rolled my eyes, and pulled some money out of my pockets and placed a good amount on the bed, pulling Sakura with me as I closed the door.

"There," I said. "Done."

"But Sasuke-kun!" she protested. "I should at least pay for some-"

"No," I said, cutting her off. "I did all of the damage and I'm rich anyway. Let it go."

She pouted again, but gave up, knowing she couldn't change my mind.

**_She's cute when she pouts._**

I ignored him again. Did you forget? I can be stubborn.

**_You mean Tsundere._**

_Not listening to you…_

We exited the motel, but I stopped her before we could head to the main part of the village. "Something wrong, Sasuke-kun?"

I fidgeted, blushing and trying not to look at Sakura. It was kind of hard, considering the girl had pink hair. You can't miss that!

"Um…Sakura-…about before, in the motel. Um…" I got out. "When you said you wouldn't leave me…and us-…you know…" I didn't have the guts to say "kissing" aloud, and I hated myself for it. _I'm such a damned wimp._

Satisfyingly, however, she blushed, and stuttered when she spoke. However, to my digression, it disappeared as she spoke more. "O-oh…r-right, th-that…" She took a deep breath and stepped closer to me.

It took more will power than I'm willing to admit to not take a step back. "I meant what I said, Sasuke-kun," she spoke, softly. "I promise not to leave you. You can count on me, you know? Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Sai-kun…we're all here for you, even if you don't show it. Especially Naruto…he loves you like a brother, Sasuke-kun. Kakashi-sensei like a son, and Sai-kun thinks of you as a friend."

"A-and you?" I said. "What about you?" _Why did I stutter?_

I didn't get a blush, but I got a warm smile that made my heart –cringe– thunder. "You'll know." She said mystically.

**_What a pretty smile…_**

_Yeah…_

**_YES! You admited something! We have progress, people!_**

She hugged me quickly. "Just know that I care, alright? A lot."

She tip-toed to whisper in my ear. "And by the way…" she said quietly. "I liked them." _She liked it when we kissed? _

**_Gee, thanks Captain Obvious, for that valuable information._**

What Sakura did next caught me off guard, and I couldn't reply.

She kissed me on the corner of my mouth – not quite considered a kiss, since it was more on my cheek than anything, but it still made my face burn.

Then, like quicksilver, right after, she was already running into the city, yelling back, "Hurry up, Sasuke-kun!" like she hadn't just kissed me or anything.

Until her shout, I was standing there dumbly, holding a hand to my face where she kissed me.

**_You are _**sooo**_ whipped._**

_If I am, so are you!_

**_Yeah, but I admit it! That's the difference!_**

_…Shut up, asshole._

* * *

**(1): **"Death by suffocation!" If you've guys seen any of the English dub of Naruto Shippuden, or have watched English funny moments on YouTube, then you probably know that line. It was Deidara when he was choking Tobi with his legs. I thought of that line when I wrote the one in the chapter.**  
(2): **I'm pretty sure snake heads or bodies can still move for a little bit after its head has been cut off. I know a chicken head can still squawk and run around because I've seen it. Thanks, Dad, for that wonderful experience, as well as having to pluck the damn thing. Ugh... I've always been more of a beef person anyway.**  
(3): **I'm pretty sure you guys know what it means to be "tsundere" by now. If you don't, I don't want to make this chapter longer by explaining it, so I ask that you look it up (this is already nearly 7k words). I decided it was time we saw the tsundere side of Sasuke again, so there you go!

SCROLL UP TO THE BEGINNING A/N FOR THE PRIZE OF THE 100TH REVIEWER!

**Question of the Week:**_ What is your favorite **Naruto SHIPPUDEN** opening?_

**Love 'ya guys, and adios!**

**-Cherry**


	27. Chapter 27: Letting Love In

**Sunday, May 5th, 2013.**

**Hey, peeps! New chapter today. I was originally going to show you what Matsuri and Sai and Shisui were up to and some ItaHana, but it ended up being all GaaMatsu. 3k+ words of GaaMatsu. **

**Well. This fic was supposed to have GaaMatsu anyway, so yay! Development!**

**I recall that I haven't done birthdays lately. So I'll name the big ones that have passed.**

**KHR:** _italicized._  
**Naruto: bold.  
****Real people:** Normal.

**Hidan: Apr. 2, **_Lussuria: Apr. 4, Giannini: Apr. 13,_ Leonardo da Vinci: Apr. 15, _Timoteo (the IX): Apr. 17, Hana (KHR): Apr. 20, Yamamoto: Apr. 24, **Chouji: May 1, **Haru: Apr. 3._

**Today (Just listing, forget format): Deidara (Naruto), Hibari (KHR), and** Luffy**: (OP)**.

**At first I thought it was _Xanxus_ from KHR and Luffy's birthday rather than Hibari and Luffy's. Xanxus' b-day turned out to be Oct. 10, same birthday with Naruto. So I was right as far as _same-b-day-as-shounen-protagonist_ went. Just had the wrong protagonist. Today's also **Children's Day **and **Cinco de Mayo**, a Mexican (it's only Mexico right? I may be wrong) holiday. Last night, I heard celebrations for it, even. No, it's **not Mexican Independence Day**. It's a common misconception. Mexico's independence day is in September if I remember right.**

**Anyway, yeah, GaaMatsu.**

**Answer to last QotW:** _Probably "SIGN" by FLOW, the 6th one. I loved that one. I don't really have a favorite, but if I did, that'd probably be it. FLOW's epic. _

**Song I'm listening to at the moment:** "Desperate Measures" - Mariana's Trench. _  
_

**I decided to do something like this. Oh, and _Mariana's Trench's "Beside You"_ made me cry in a FMAB AMV.**

**Fun fact about me or otherwise:** I have a twin. Really. We're identical; both girls. She reviewed this once. She was a guest and used "Your Twin" as a username. She hasn't gotten an account yet, which I think is stupid b/c I've had mine for almost two years. So if "Your Twin" says something, don't get angry. She's my sis. She's the older one, btw, and, as I like to point out, I've been taller than her for most of our lives.

**I decided to do something like this, too.**

**So.. READ ON!**

**Oh. And I wrote the next chapter, too. They were supposed to be one, but they ended up being too long so I split it up. I'm not sure what to do afterwards, though.** Any suggestions for the story, guys?

* * *

Chapter 27: Letting Love In

* * *

**Matsuri POV**

_Damnit! I can't believe I was delayed so long!_

I ran between the trees on the ground, occasionally leaping unto tree branches.

When I had first headed out into the forest after Gaara, I was met by enemy Sound and Sand nin, but was able to get passed them quick enough.

_The real trouble was Baki…_

I'm nowhere near strong enough to put up much of a fight against him. Forget winning.

During our "skirmish" –_that could not be called a fight; I was hardly a match_– I watched the forest as it collapsed and filled with the sounds of a large battle; Naruto versus Gaara.

I did my best to try and get past Baki, or at least try harder to fight him, but all I managed to do was injure him enough to render one of his arms _mostly_ useless. Not even completely. But my accomplishment would've been great if he wasn't still _just _mobile enough to still move his hands to make seals, not that he needed them.

I had targeted his right arm, since I believed he was right-handed.

He turned out to be ambidextrous. _FML.**(1)**_

More and more time passed until I was almost exhausted – I wanted to save my energy for Gaara and get us both out of the forest. I couldn't count on Temari and Kankuro doing it – I had a feeling they'd be too tired to even **get** here.

So, I had decided to ask Baki the question that prodded at me most, and guilt-trip him in the process. Which I kinda felt bad about doing. _I'm such a goody-two-shoes…_

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

_"Why are you doing this, Baki-san?" I yelled at him. "Why?!"_

_"You are interfering with the Kazekage's plans. That is reason enough," he said, throwing kunai at me._

_"The plans to destroy a village that wouldn't have invaded us when we were vulnerable? That's terrible!" I continued to dodge the weapons he threw at me, as well as the kicks and punches._

_"You wouldn't understand. You're a child." _

_"The only thing to understand is that our 'beloved Kazekage' is starting a war with a village that could destroy ours! __**(2) **__Not to mention their allies! Not a smart move, to me!"_

_"With Orochimaru's assistance-"_

_"All Orochimaru wants is Sasuke's body and revenge on Konoha! He doesn't care about Sand or any of us! In fact, he killed our Kazekage!"_

_That stopped Baki cold. "…What…?"_

_I took that moment to take a breather. "You didn't know? Do you think the person that was up there with the Hokage was really our Kazekage? He had been killed by Orochimaru days ago! That was just the Kazekage's body!"_

_He didn't say anything at first. But then, he muttered, "That explains the chakra signature…"_

_I nodded. "That was just Orochimaru."_

_I gazed passed Baki. "I would love to stay and chat, but I really have to get going."_

_"Oh no you don't!" Baki grabbed my arm, stopping me from leaving._

_"Why not? Gaara-kun's out there losing control, and I have to stop him! I can't let him suffer the way he is right now! The Kazekage's dead. You don't have to carry out his plan anymore! Why do you continue to stop me?" I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but to no avail._

_"Don't you care about what's happening to him? To Temari-chan? Kankuro?" I asked, unable to understand why the adult wasn't allowing me to help them._

_"You've known them since they were children! You trained them for so long – you _**must**_ care about them!" I continued. "I've seen it in your eyes, Baki-san."_

_He looked down, and his grip loosened. But I didn't take off. I had more to say. "Right now, Tema__**(3)**__ and Kankuro are both out there, fighting strong enemies. They're bound to be hurt."_

_His grip tightened again, but for an entirely different reason than the first time he grabbed me._

_"Right now, Gaara-kun's fighting a battle without any control of himself. I may not be able to find Kankuro and Tema in time to help them, but I can reach Gaara-kun. He's so close…"_

_Baki's grip loosened, but not enough for me to pull away. "Please… just let me go. Let me help the people I love, Baki-san. Just because you won't, doesn't mean I won't either."_

_He stood up, still holding my arm, but this time faced me. His expression held the pain of a hurt loved one, and I knew he was willing to help me now._

_"… How… can I help?"_

_I smiled. I placed a piece of paper into his hand._

_"Take this and look towards the skies. If you have extra time, do us a favor and get rid of some enemy nin, would 'ya?" I winked, and sped off, following the figures of the giant-toad-turned-fox__**(4)**__ and Shukaku in the close distance._

_In my peripheral vision, I saw him look at the paper, then at the sky, and speed off in some other direction._

* * *

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

By the neared the area where Shukaku and whatever-the-name-of-that-toad-was **(5)**, the two giant creatures were gone, and I had to resort on searching on foot, assuming Naruto and Gaara remained in that general area.

And here I am, still searching.

_Wait a minute… what is that?_

I saw a flash of red.

I ran toward and gasped. _There he is!_

Gaara was laying on his back, his forehead bloody. Across from him, in the clearing they were in, Naruto crawled, also covered in blood, toward Gaara, speaking to him.

I moved to hide behind a tree. I didn't want to interrupt them.

_"… I know how it is to feel alone, Gaara. So much that it hurts…" _

My hands flew to my mouth. _Gaara mentioned this…_

This was the speech Naruto had given Gaara**(6)**. One of them, anyway.

Anyway, this was the speech that impacted Gaara the most. How he knew how Gaara felt, and would've ended up just like him.

But the difference was that he had friends, people who loved him. The ones that changed him and made him who he was.

But this part… this part is new. Gaara once told me the whole speech as Kazekage, and I committed it to memory.

But this wasn't part of it.

_"You have friends, too, Gaara! They care about you, so much. Temari, Kankuro… they're your family. And Matsuri, she's your friend, isn't she? They care about you Gaara. They love you. But you have to let them in. You have to. I know you care about them, too, Gaara. Don't be afraid to let them know."_

Tears came to my eyes at Naruto's words. _Thank you Naruto, for this… I didn't show my gratitude well to you before, but now… thank you so much, for pushing him change for the better._

_"But… I don't know how," _Gaara spoke, the pain evident in his voice. He was distraught, and it made my heart twist.

_"Don't worry, Gaara." _Naruto said. I could _hear_ the warm smile in his voice. _"It'll come to you. Don't be hesitant to let your emotions guide you every once in a while."_

_"B-but… how can they forgive me? Temari, Kankuro, Matsuri… even Ittetsu and Sari… they're my family and friends but I tried killing them on multiple occasions, mistreated them all… how would they still care about me?" _

Gaara's voice choked and I couldn't stand it any longer.

I ran into the clearing, to Gaara. I sat and raised his head unto my knees, caressing his face as tears streamed down my face.

I saw two Sakura clones (I assume) run to Naruto.**(7)** I bet they were listening in, too.

"Don't say that, Gaara-kun!" I said.

"Isn't how long they've stayed by you proof enough, Gaara?" One of the clones said.

"They love you dearly Gaara and nothing is going to change that." The other said.

"B-but what I did-" Gaara started, but I interrupted him.

"Forgiveness, Gaara! We'll forgive you over and over because we love you!" I exclaimed, dropping my head upside-down next to Gaara's, pressing my face against his owns as I sobbed and spoke.

"See? They love you… and I know you feel the same about them, too, at least somewhat. Isn't your remorse proof of that? You're a good person, Gaara." Naruto said again, as Sakura's clones lifted him up on their shoulders. "You're a boy afraid of love, because you're afraid to find that it doesn't exist. I know that feeling, Gaara… it's okay to be afraid of love… but give yourself a chance okay? Let it in. You'll be surprised and what you'll find."

And with that, the clones, with Naruto between them, leaped off into the trees, out of sight.

I remained here, crying into Gaara's shoulder, muttering _"let us in, let love in"_, when I felt a hand on my open cheek.**(8)**

I stopped and sat upright again, to find Gaara's hand in the air where my head was.

I took hold of it, and turned to Gaara's face, upside-down in my perspective.

"Matsuri…" his eyes were glistening; it occurred to me that they were tears waiting to fall.

"Do-… do you really-… you, Temari, Kankuro… do you all really love me?" His eyes were full of hope- hope for love. And of fear – fear that it may not be true.

I smiled warmly, wiping my tears. "Of course we do, Gaara." I said, leaning down. "More than anything…"

I kissed his "love" tattoo.

The second after I placed my lips upon the self-inflicted mark, it was if a dam broke – Gaara broke into tears.

The first time I've seen him cry.

I pulled Gaara's body up against mine, cradling him in my arms, and laying my back unto the ground. I held him as he sobbed and released all the pain he felt and kept bottled up over the years. For the first time since the death of Yashamaru.**(9)**

Silently, tears of my own from seeing him in so much pain –but happy that he was changing and releasing it, letting us in– fell.

"We love you… we all love you… don't ever doubt that…" I whispered constantly but softly into his ears all the while. "_I _love you." I knew he wouldn't understand what kind of love I meant by that yet, but I was okay with that.

He knew I cared, and that his siblings cared, and even that _Ittetsu_ and _Sari_ cared! They may be a bit scared of him, but that was understandable. They still saw him as a friend they should watch over.

He knew he was loved, and that was all.

That's all that mattered right now.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, his sobs died down to whimpers and I saw that he was falling asleep.  
My own exhaustion began to creep in again.

In the last few seconds of his consciousness, I readjusted him against my chest so he was comfortable.

I pulled out my yellow flare gun and fired into the air before I forgot.

"_I love you…" _I whispered one last time into his ear, and the two of us fell asleep, against one another on the ground.

* * *

**Three nights later, about 9 o'clock, Konoha's Hospital**

* * *

**Matsuri's POV**

"Is there anything you want before I return to my cot?" I asked Gaara, my hand softly stroking his face.

It was the day after the Invasion, and Baki had found us and taken us to the hospital, saying he used the key he gave me._ Looks like the flare guns served their purposes well._

At first, I was placed in a different hospital room than Gaara, but with some negotiation and fear tactics on Temari and Kankuro's part, that was changed and we shared a room.

Over the course of these three days, all of us –the Konoha 12, us Sand Gang, Karin and Sai, etc– visited each other briefly in the hospital, making sure we were okay.

However, none of us were ready to bring up what happened in the woods so no one brought it up.

Especially after the Hokage's funeral, which was yesterday. Even Temari and I shed tears for him, and it was surprising we were even allowed to go, being so close to the village that invaded this one. It was a sad day, yesterday.

When no one visited, and at night, I took a seat next to Gaara's bed and we spoke about anything and everything – something we rarely and scarcely did back in Suna. Gaara was opening up, and I welcomed it.

It was about the end of the now-nightly-ritual, and once, Gaara wanted me to lay in his bed for a while until I fell asleep or until _he_ did (he slept the first night for the first time since he was six, and slept again the night and day of the next day) . If I fell asleep first, he'd use his sand to put me back in my bed, or I would move back to my bed if he fell asleep first, like on the second night.

At least, those were the arrangements for the past 3 nights.

"Yes…" Gaara said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Re-… remember when I asked you to kiss me, Matsuri?" Gaara asked, and it threw me off balance.

I blushed heavily and fidgeted. "Y-yeah… w-why?"

A year ago or so, Gaara was starting to get curious about physical affection, so he asked me to kiss him one day, all of a sudden.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

_"You said it feels good, right? I want to see what's so good about it," Gaara said._

_"W-well-… uh… u-um… b-but-…" I stuttered. _**WHAT**?!

_"Do you not want to?" Gaara asked, his head tilted. There was a ghost of a pout on his lips, and I sighed._

_"It's not that…"_

_"Then what is it? I think Temari said something about girls usually treasuring their first kiss… is this your first?" He asked. "Is that why?"_

Well, I guess that's why I'm hesitant… then there's that irrational fear of him thinking I'm a bad kisser… he hasn't kissed anyone and neither have I! How's he supposed to know?"

_"Sort of…" _I also don't want to lose it in this sort of situation… that's what a small part of me is saying. But it's Gaara, so it's okay. Isn't it? It's not like I expected my first kiss with him to be romantic… okay, maybe I did. But I'm writing a romance! And I'm a hopeless romantic! Is it my fault, really? …Yeah, it is.

_"So you don't want to? I could ask someone else." Gaara stated._

_I shook my hands vigorously. "No! No!" _I don't want you to kiss anyone else!

…Well. Looks like I just discovered and proved that I _am_ possessive of Gaara… Temari and Sari were right…

_"So what do you want to do then?"_

_"I-I'll do it!" I said with finality, and let out a breath of relief._

_"Okay then."_

_I walked to his bed and sat next to him on it, against the bed frame. He down looked at me._

_I was a little miffed to find that I was __**still**__ shorter. _How does that work? I'm older! And he is kind of short for his age from being born prematurely!**(10)** Curse my short genes!

_"So…"_

_"Oh, right! I-I'll do it…" I took a deep breath and leaned closer to him. _Here I go…

_"Just mimic what I do…" I whispered softly, before my lips touched his surprisingly soft ones._

_Instinct took over and my lips moved against his, and slowly after words, his own lips reciprocated. The kiss was clumsy and soft and short, but that was understandable._

_All things said, Temari and Kankuro could've opened the door and peeked in and I wouldn't have noticed. __**(*)**_

_The kiss basically turned my brain to mush, and all I knew that I was kissing Gaara, whom I love, and he's _**kissing me back**_! What else mattered?!_

_Soon afterward, we parted, and I panted slightly while gazing at him, my eyes still slightly dazed and my face the color of his hair._

_I was pleased to see his face was flushed, and his eyes dazed slightly as well. Though the flushed face may just be the lack of oxygen while we were kissing. _

_"I… liked it." He said. _

_I smiled. Suddenly, I felt like we just made a new bond of some sort. I'm not sure what it was, but whatever it is, I think he's more comfortable with me, for whatever reason. I wasn't going to question it – I'm glad._

_"So did I."_

_I pulled us both under the blankets and adjusted myself against him, and fell asleep, as he turned off the lights with his sand, stroking my hair to soothe me._

* * *

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

"I-…" Gaara began. "I want to do it again. If you're okay with it."

I was shocked. _He wants to kiss me again?_

"Okay…" I said, leaning closer to his upright self in the bed.

"But this time," he said, stopping me momentarily. "I want you to put all your feelings for me into it if you can. I don't understand them yet; I just know you love me… romantically. But I still want to feel it."

I sat there, shocked. Then, I relaxed and smiled. "Of course."

His eyes widened. "Y-you don't care-… you don't care that you're kissing someone who doesn't love you? Didn't you mind the first time?"

I shook my head. "No, because it was you. I love you, and even though I know you don't reciprocate those feelings, I know you care and you know I care and you're safe; that's all that matters to me right now. My feelings won't change, whether or not you return them. Love isn't conditional, Gaara, just like I, Naruto, Sakura, Tema, and Kankuro have told you."

As he looked at me, with a mixture of confusion but gladness and relief, I took the opportunity to kiss him again, but with more force this time, pouring my feelings into it.

He kissed me back, soon gaining as much vigor.

I loved it.

When we pulled away, even Gaara was panting, though not as harshly as me. _He has really good lungs, damn him…_

I smiled and was about to stand up to go to my bed but Gaara stopped me with a hand on my wrist.

"Stay here with me." He whispered.

He pulled me to him and I climbed into bed with him, holding him against my chest.

"Thank you, Matsuri." He said.

I said nothing, but kissed his forehead gingerly.

Soon afterward, his breathing softened and he was asleep.

I followed suit.

* * *

**(1): **The "FML" part was inspired by _SasuSasku Forever and Ever's _ y_. _She's one of my favorite authors. BTW, the story's rated M if you want to read it. Just warning you.**  
****(2): **Konoha's strong, guys. At the state Suna is in right now in the story, if Konoha really wanted to, I think it'd have the power to take on Suna. And think about what Konoha could do with their allies...**  
(3): **In my story, in the universe the girls and Sai landed in when the went back into the past, things were changed, right? So most of these flashbacks here, unless specified otherwise, will be of their lives in _this_ world. In this past, Matsuri and Temari are close, so it'd only make sense for Matsuri to have a nickname for her, right? I'm saving "'Mari" for Shikamaru, btw.**  
(4): **Remember Naruto had Gamabunta transform into a fierce, giant, animal to fight Shukaku better? No? Well, he did. And the transformation ended up being Kurama.**  
(5): **Why would Matsuri know Gamabunta's name? That's why she says that.**  
(6): **The one where Naruto's crawling towards Gaara. I'm pretty sure there was a speech there. If not, whatever. In the original past I have Gaara and Matsuri closer than they are in canon. So, when Matsuri was completing her training, Gaara told her more about Naruto, and how he changed him. The speech was some of what he told her. **  
(7):** I didn't show you this, but a bit after the first chapter ended, Sakura made 2 clones to go and pick up Naruto for her, since she and Sasuke were busy in the city. So yes, Sakura sent them.**  
(8): **If you've seen the 8th OVA, it's basically Sakura and Naruto's position at the beginning and end of it. But, replacing Naruto and Sakura are Gaara and Matsuri respectively. **  
(9): **I don't think Gaara has cried since, so I'm pretty sure that's accurate.**  
(10): **Gaara was born 2 months prematurely, at 7 months. I think Naruto was, too. So as a result, both are short for their age. In fact, in Shippuden, they could wear each other's clothing - their the same size, height, and weight if I remember right. Only in Shippuden, though. And being born prematurely doesn't always have a birth defect - my sis and I were but we're fine. Sis has mild asthma, though, and I have even milder. It almsot doesn't exist. And we're kinda tall for our age. Though I'm sure that's just genes - my dad's side has pretty tall people.**  
(*): **_Remember this~... take note of it~..._

**Great response for the last chapter, guys! 10 reviews!**

**The 100th reviewer was **Hearts grow**. Her one-shot will come over my summer break - unless I get bored, I'm not even _attempting_ to start it. I want school to be over by then. My summer break **starts June 1st**. **

**Review!**

**QotW:** _What is your favorite song?_

**I don't think I've asked that yet, so good.**

**REVIEWWWWW!**

**Love, **

**Cherry.**


	28. Chapter 28: Sai

**Sunday, May 19th, 2013.**

**Hey guys! This chapter is where you finally find out what happened to Sai and Shisui! More or less. Sai, really. And a lot of SaIno at the end. **

**Sorry if this wasn't as good as the other chapters. I didn't get a lot of time to edit this one. I had my hair done one day after school (extensions - that takes hours. I have legit-black-chick hair, guys.) and I'm kinda sick. My Spanish 1 project also took up a lot of time.**

**Just to let you guys know, Thursday-Saturday morning of next week I'll be in San Francisco, California for a Six Flags trip for school. (That is where the Cali Six Flags is, right). It's an annual thing for 8th graders at the end of the year. But I'm a wimp on amusement park rides so I'm not sure how much fun I'll have exactly. Wish me luck.**

**The week after is final's week and the last day of school, with no school on that Monday (the 27th) because it's Memorial Day. I may update early that week - more time.**

**BTW, about a week or two ago, I saw a guy with a Chopper (from One Piece) T-shirt. He was a big black guy. And a One Piece fan. Man enough to have a cute reindeer on the back of his shirt. I wanted to bump fists with that guy, but I was too much of a wimp.**

**I'm kinda sick, too, so my throat feels like shit. My voice sounds terrible, too.**

**Word Count of the chapter itself, minus AN: 3,245.**

**Fun Fact About Me or Otherwise: **I'm Kenyan-American if you didn't already know. (Kenya's a country in East Africa, btw) I have no American blood or any blood that isn't Kenyan really, except for the fact that my sister and I were born in the states. My home state is Kansas, but I moved to Arizona right after I turned 8. My parents have 2 native languages - Swahili (which is a mix of languages in Africa, but mostly originates from Arabic) and Gikuyu, which is the language of the tribe and area that my parents are from. Apparently sis and I understood them as toddlers, but lost it as we grew. Now, I know only a little, but they're on my Mandatory Languages to Learn List. It's a long list. And I have a noticeable American accent that grows the older I get. F*ck.

**Answer to Last QotW: **_Probably Mr. Brightside by The Killers (American band). I've loved that song as long as I could remember. I can't get enough of it._

**Do you guys want me to start a mini "Weekly Recommended Book/Anime/Manga Segment? I'll do that if you want, with a little summary, my thoughts, if I've seen it, etc. Do you want me to have books and anime/manga separate?"**

**Disclaimer: **I don't think a 14-year-old girl graduating middle school would own Naruto. Just sayin'. (btw, I had a typo earlier saying I graduated **high school** when I wasn't. So I exported the chapter real quick to fix that. A 14-year old graduating high school is incredible, but isn't me)

**Enjoy, guys! I hope you like the SaIno!**

**If anything's confusing, let me know and I'll explain it. And Sai may be a bit OOC, but due to the situations. I tried, though.**

* * *

Chapter 28: Sai

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

**Sai POV**

It's alright… I can do this… I'm almost there…

_I crept along the ground of the archives of the ROOT base, cautious for the guards and any traps._

_I scanned the shelves, desperately trying to remember my memories of this place years ago, when I was a young child. As well as the memories of barely 2 years ago, when I graduated._

_When I was a child, Danzo showed me around the base like he always did to "promising" recruits after they graduated the academy and a year of training. At the time, I was 10.**(1)**_

_Danzo also showed my brother and I the archives, something done rarely. But it was very brief._

_When I graduated ROOT training, he gave me a more proper tour or what kind of scrolls went where; overall history of the village for the entire North-West Wing; personnel of Leaf ninja below the rank of ANBU is in the North-Northeast Wing; History of Suna in the red shelves in the South-Southeast Wing; etcetera._

_I was looking for the black shelves at the south-southwest of the archive room, the part that, usually, only Danzo is allowed to use. No one else is allowed there._

_It was known to me that he also kept private scrolls there in cases that his own room was not sufficient. His room had flooded last night due to a pipe leak that not only affected the ROOT base, but part of the village. It was a complete accident, and I knew Danzo put his scrolls there this morning._

_He was now too occupied with the Invasion to come over here, but there's no guarantee he'd never come – I'd have to hurry._

Found them!

_I checked to make sure my gloves were on securely – the kind of gloves they give graduates to completely disguise figure prints and almost completely disguise any kind of substance that may leave a mark on paper. They also all smell the same and can only be smelled by a heavily-nose-trained dog, or similar animal: they smell of what the area they're in smells like, not the wearer. The gloves have a material that absorbs the air and filters it – leaving it smelling like what place it's in. The dogs wouldn't be able to tell where the smell came from, nor the person who wore them._

_The only downside was that if it was discovered that someone was here and tried to steal the Scrolls like what I'm doing, they'd know it was a ROOT agent._

I don't know which one it is… I guess I'll just pick a random one… I believe I used that word right, "random".

_I picked it up and rolled it open, looking for anything hinting at the Uchiha Massacre, or Orochimaru._

No… that's not it! It's just regular ROOT classified information – information about dead members.

_I put it back gently, not wanting to set off any alarm._

_After a few more scrolls, I finally found the one I was looking for, and it was partially wrinkly from dried water. _This must have gotten wet. This better be Danzo-sama's.

_I picked it up, and read it._

_It was written in code._

_In the ROOT Archives, most of the scrolls are at least partially written in code to prevent sensitive information from getting out in the (impossible) instance that an outsider was able to steal something. _

_Scrolls like the History of Konoha or Suna only had code written in places describing secret, sensitive, classified, or generally unknown information._

_Other scrolls, like this one, were almost, if not entirely written in code._

_The code is taught to all members, more or less. When you are young, you learn a handful of words/translations of the code. The older and promising you are, the more you'll be taught over the years. If it seems you may leave ROOT or betray it, they kill you. You probably would've died in the last test of the organization anyhow, but we don't take such risky chances._

_By a while after you graduate, you would know about 85%-90%, maybe even _**95****_%_**_ of the code. It all depends on loyalty, strength, and closeness to Danzo's side. _

_But it was more than enough to get by._

_I knew about 92-93%.**(2)** Danzo often says I may be one of his own new right-hand men one day._

_I'm sure, had I never met Sakura, Dickless, Beautiful, and the others, that may have been the case._

_Seeing how Danzo hasn't said that in a while, he must have noticed my change. I'm not sure how bad that may be, though._

_Anyways, Danzo and his two right-hand men are the only ones in the entire organization who know the whole code._

_Danzo has his own personal code as well, and is often mixed in with the more important scrolls, and he's the only one who knows all of it. We assume his two assistants**(3)** know maybe 98%, if not all of it, knowing how close they are to him._

_The idea is, nobody else knows._

_And unfortunately for me, about 15% of this was written in Danzo's code, which is much more… "troublesome" than it sounds._

_However, I did see many mentions of Itachi, the Council, the Massacre, the Third, Orochimaru, and experiments._

_I understood, more or less, that this was the scroll I was looking for. I was expecting him to keep them in separate scrolls, though – one for the Massacre, another for his secret dealings with Orochimaru._

_I wasn't complaining, however. _Did I use that phrase right?

_I put the scroll away in my pack and made a fake one using an old, blank, scroll that any ROOT member may use and place in the archives once written in, and used ink and a genjutsu to make it look like it had the same content and looked exactly the same, placing it where the original was._

_Immediately, I hurried out._

_I made it to a long corridor near the Archives, leading to training rooms, and past that, a discreet exit. Usually used at night, or during missions._

_"Where are you going!?" A voice bellowed._

_I almost froze, but quickly started running again._

_"Hey!" I took a glimpse behind me, looking through the small holes I made in the fabric of my black face-mask._

_"Are you taking a test?"_

_It was a random ROOT member, chasing after me. _I don't think he knows I stole something…

_Every once in a while, ROOT has an exam to test our stealth, and many participants wear all black, like I am. Head-to-toe in dark clothing, and often, only our eyes, if that much were shown._

_It's very easy to get fabric that you can see through, though usually just a few feet. Small holes are made in masks to, but also to keep others from noticing our eye color._

_Like contestants often do, I used a henge to change my appearance and body structure._

_I know have very tanned skin, dark blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, am 6'2", and remotely stalky and muscled. Though the only thing visible is my height and stalk._

_I took the appearance of an older, quiet trainee, knowing it was incredibly unlikely that he would speak of his exams and that no one would ask about it, since we are very private, inverse people. I was safe in that department._

_He was especially quiet, as if to make up for his size. He often carried a pack identical to mine, as well as a tanto (that I changed mine to look like), so my things didn't look suspicious._

_I nodded to the other ROOT member._

_"Alright. Go on. Excuse me for interrupting."_

_I nodded again as he turned to leave._

_As soon as he was out of site, I hurried out the building._

_I _just_ made it out the building when multiple kunai stabbed my back._

_I looked around as I fell, but I didn't find the culprit. _

_All I knew was that there were many, and that none of them were the man that stopped me before, judging by the faint chakra signatures._

_"Stop right there," they said in monotone._

Is that how I sound?

_I pulled myself back up as quickly as possible while pulling the kunai out of my back. I tried not to think about the pain and ignore it as we were trained to do._

_My assailants engaged me, all 5 of them, in a close combat battle._

_I did my best to fight them back._

_Luckily, some were weaker than me and didn't take __**too**__ long to get rid of. (I didn't kill them.)_

_However, the others were tougher and soon, I was tiring out._

_I also had to keep them from opening my pack. But luckily for me, they only seemed to be interested in tiring me out._

**_Un_**_luckily for me, the seal in my mouth placed by Danzo on every ROOT member soon began to burn painfully, and it was all I could do not to scream._

_My exhaustion, coupled with my pain, caused met to drop my henge._

_Fortunately, I was still in all black. _

_Unfortunately, they knew I was now an imposter, and a young one, seeing my stature compared to theirs._

_They fought harder._

_Soon, I felt that I was about to collapse, and I did my best to stay awake._

There's no way I could get away from them. I need help… but no one could help me now…

_I felt a tanto stab through my stomach. I coughed up blood._

_I began to fall to the ground as my vision blurred._

Is this it? I'm sorry, Ugly, Dickless, Scarecrow, Cockatoo,… everyone.I'm sorry Beautiful… Ino. I never did figure out how I felt about you exactly did I? Are my feelings for you "like"? A "crush"? Or is it more than that...? I guess I'll never know… and you won't either… Goodbye, In-

_"Get up, man! Get up!" A male voice interrupted my goodbye._

_I turned as best could, and saw a flash of black. _This person's disguised, too…

_I heard the sounds of fighting, people falling, then grunts._

Is helping me?

_The next thing I knew, I was jerked upwards and thrown over a shoulder, bobbing up and down as the person who grabbed me ran._

_After what felt like a substantial amount of running, the person laid me against a tree, and sat in front of my form._

We're alone…

_He took off the black clothing covering my original clothing, as well as taking off his own._

Shisui-sempai. He helped me.

_I tried to open my mouth to thank him,_ –this feeling is gratitude, correct?–_ but then the pain of my mark increased, making me remember it. I had forgotten about it._

_I groaned, miserable, as blood that I coughed up from my injuries as well as from biting my tongue so hard to ignore the pain filled my mouth and trickled down it. I opened my mouth slightly so I didn't choke on the blood and saliva._

_When I was done with releasing the blood, Shisui pried open my mouth, too see my tongue. He cringed._

_I felt like my tongue was burning, being molded, pounded, and all sorts of painful things. Because the mark was attached to the brain as well, what started as a small headache evolved to what felt like anvils constantly falling on my head._

_In addition, I had many wounds, which also hurt._

_Needless to say, I was engulfed in pain._

_"Don't worry! I'm going to get you healed, soon, okay?" Shisui said to me, trying to reassure me._

_My vision blurred again, and I felt myself losing consciousness._

_"Hand in there, alright? Hang in…"_

_I fell into darkness._

* * *

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

**Ino POV**

"Oh, Sai…" I said, holding back tears.

Shisui had explained to me what he knew about what happened, and that he had Hana heal his stab wound as best she could, so he didn't bleed out and that it would be out of the records. Just in case any ROOT members suspected him and checked out his hospital records.

They also had to, unfortunately, heal some injuries while inflicting new ones – again so Sai wouldn't be discovered.

The moment I was allowed to see him, I did, and I cried at his bedside as he slept.

He was asleep for 40 hours, and when he woke up late that second day, I spent the night with him, keeping him company.

It was apparent he couldn't talk, however, but we made sure that it was from something else – just not from "a curse mark", like it was. _Injected with poison that affected the mouth. Kankuro made a fake that Sai had to ingest._

The inability to speak isn't permanent, however – the tongue one of the fastest healing organs in the body, and it would only take a couple weeks for him to be speaking normally again.

However, it'd be best that we remove the seal.

If Danzo had somehow activated it in the first place – we assume a ROOT member had told him about a suspicious character and suspected Sai, since we **know**, and Shisui confirmed, that Danzo wasn't in the area. In other words, he must think Sai's less trustworthy than before.

Might as well remove the seal right?

But. Here's the problem – only one person can do it: Jiraiya. He's the only one extremely skilled in sealing jutsu in the village**(4)**, and the only one we could trust. He already knows everything about the future, since his soul basically returned from it and he was apparently told by Itachi as well.

But that's not the problem.

This is.

Jiraiya believed the removal of the seal would be painful, difficult – since he's only done it once, like 20 years ago –, may render Sai unable to speak for up to 7 months, and worst of all: because Danzo put it there, there's a 99.9% chance he'd know about its removal. There's a huge probability that he'd also know who it was removed from as well.

That'd mean Sai would have to go into hiding the second there was any slight indication of Danzo targeting him. Yes, that'll confirm his suspicions, but it's better than Sai getting killed.

So, we decided Jiraiya'd do it the night before he leaves with Naruto to find Tsunade, Day 6 in the hospital. He leaves with Naruto on our 7th day.

After that, Sai would be taken somewhere private to recuperate, and we wouldn't be allowed to see him for at least a week.

So, the procedure's tonight.

In half an hour to be exact. And I only had minutes left with him before I'd be forced out of his room and into my own.

I've spent every day with Sai, occasionally visiting the others and staying in my own hospital room for my check-ups and when I wasn't allowed out of my room. I talked constantly to him, and he used a notebook I gave him to comment and reply.

We even spoke about learning about the deaths of those in the Shinobi HQ in the war in our dreams.**(5)** Though I had time to gather with the others about it, especially Shikamaru and Tenten who had lost their father and close friend respectively, the time I had with Sai was what really allowed me to move on past it. I was heart-broken when I learned about it, and the others may have helped pick me up slowly, but Sai was the one who really got me out of the darkness of grief.

_...Anyway. On a lighter note..._

Sai was fed nutrients through an IV drop. The only substance that was allowed in his mouth was water.

**_I'm so scared…_**

_So am I, Inner._

But I took a breath.

"Are you read for this, Sai-kun?"

He nodded.

I scooted closer into the bed with him, making sure not to accidentally get his IV drop pulled out. The top half of his bed was raised so he was sitting partially upright.

He buried my head into his neck as he wrapped in arm around me.

Though I tried hard not to, a few rouge tears escaped my face and trickled down it.

"I really hope this works, Sai-kun."

He nodded setting the notebook on the table beside the bed.

I took a deep breath.

**_We have to tell him, Outer. I won't feel right if we don't._**

_I know... I will._

"I-I have someth-thing to t-tell, you, ok-kay?" I stuttered, nervous but gathering courage, and holding back every urge to cry.

I looked into his eyes deeply.

_I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna do it!_

"I love you, Sai-kun," I stated, firmly and strongly. _Come on... be brave..._

His eyes widened.

"I really do. And at the moment, I don't care if you love me back yet or not, but I know you care about me, and you will love me in your own pace and time, and I don't mind that. I just want you to know.

"I've never had such strong feelings for anyone before, and now I know how Sakura and Hinata felt when they were around the ones they loved. And I may have the tiniest inkling of understanding of how it felt to be apart from them.

"I-I'll be waiting, okay?" I wiped tears from my eyes.

"I'll be here waiting until I could see you again, praying for the success of your procedure, and that you won't have to hide from **_him_** for a while. That you'll be safe, with me, as long as possible.

"I'll miss you, okay? Always remember that I love you, more than anything."

I gave up holding them back and let tears pour down my face, softly pecking his lips.

It was the 2nd kiss we had, though both this one and the first weren't much more than pecks. He wasn't my first kiss – _Did you forget who I am? Do you think a currently-technically-17-year-old__**(6)**_ flirt hadn't kissed anyone before? –but they were the best ones I've had.

Before, I merely was infatuated with the guys I dated and kissed.

But this time, I was in love, we weren't dating, and I wanted to take things slow for his sake. This meant so much more to me than the other guys.

I pulled away, and was about to leave the bed, but Sai's arm around me stopped me.

He pulled me to him, and after staring at my eyes at the moment, trying to convey something, he crashed his lips against mine.

It was the first time he initiated a kiss, but it was also our most passionate one. _The most passionate one I've ever had, actually._

This was fierce, almost harsh, and I could feel him struggling to convey his emotions through it. I reciprocated with equal passion.

It was bliss.** _This was nothing like the with other guys… they can't compare. At all. In fact, forget them. We have Sai-kun now._**

When we finally pulled away, panting, he gazed strongly into my eyes, and I finally understood what he was trying to say.

Just in case I didn't get it, he wrote it on the notebook and showed it to me. "_I love you too, Ino."_

Elated, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him fiercely.

He returned the embrace, holding me to him tightly.

**_We could stay like this forever._**

The beautiful moment was broken however with the knock on the door.

Jiraiya walked in, his expression apologetic, albeit somber.

"It's time."

I looked to Sai, and whispered to him that I loved him. I kissed his cheek and as we exchanged a quick hug, and I walked off the bed to the door.

I took one last look at him.

It took a bit of struggling, but he did it.

He did it.

He gave me a smile.

A _genuine_ smile.

A smile of _love._

It may have been small, but it was beautiful to me.

And it made my heart ache even more.

I gave my own sad one, and quickly left the room toward mine.

I leaped into my bed, turning off the lights as I went. I looked over toward my roommate, Sakura, who was fast asleep.

Then, I closed my eyes trying to sleep.

But it never found me.

I stayed up all night listening to the screams of my love, whom I shouldn't be able to hear. The room was supposed to be in the opposite wing of the hospital and sound-proof. _Why then?! Is this a punishment, Kami-sama?!**(7)** Please,_ please_, let him be okay! Please..._

Even when they were over, I was haunted by them.

I never slept that night, and nightmares plagued the nights afterward.

* * *

**(1): He graduated the Academy at 9, and was promoted to Chunin at 10.  
(2): I'd think Sai would be pretty statistical belonging to such an elite group. So, a lot of numbers, guys.  
(3): Torune [Aburame] and Fuu [Yamanaka].  
(4): Jiraiya's actually incredibly talented with sealing jutsu.  
(5): I think I mentioned this earlier about the time travelers having dreams of what would've happened in the future had they never left it. BTW, this even happened CHAPTERS ago. Like, in January. Or before that. It was before Neji died. Everyone in HQ was killed, so Inoichi and Shikaku are dead. Choza's alive though. He was on the battlefield.  
(6): So in the future, Ino's 16 right now, assuming that it September hasn't passed. But because it is NOVEMBER right now, and her birthday has passed, in a way, she's 17. It's kind of confusing.  
(7): "Kami-sama"=God. "Kami" alone can mean **a** god or "hair" (weird, right?) but with -sama in the end, you're referring to the Christian God. 'Kay?**_  
_

**QotW: **_Burger King vs McDonalds? Which one? If you really want, In 'N Out and Carl's Jr. can be an option, too, but this is mostly the question to the BK-McD's war. If you're vegetarian or vegan, you can just give me your favorite food, or if you have a preference if you WERE to eat their food, or weren't always vegan/vegetarian and had them before, tell me which one you liked better._

**BTW, in ReWind, I've finally gotten to Sasuke's birthday. But I'm having troubles for ideas for Sakura and Kakashi's birthday presents to Sasuke. Kay? Any ideas?**

******AND... Do you guys want me to start a mini "Weekly Recommended Book/Anime/Manga Segment? I'll do that if you want, with a little summary, my thoughts, if I've seen it, etc. Do you want me to have books and anime/manga separate?"**

******Don't forget to review!**


	29. Chapter 29: Puppy Love

**Sunday, June 2nd, 2013.**

**Hey peeps. SCHOOL'S OUT! I may start updating weekly instead of bi-monthly. When I do, I'll put up an A/N chap thingy to let you know. I'll do the same for ReWind.**

**If you've already guessed, I'm basically going through all the characters' experiences (aka romance) while they were in the hospital. I want to go through them quickly, and this chapter ended up being like 2.8k words, but I couldn't think of a way to add another characters' experience/romance without making this chapter like 6k words long. So, shorter chapter today.**

**Kiba's turn, guys.**

For a while, I've wanted to make him a more important character, just like I have for Hana. That was a reason I made his relationship with the Uchiha the way it is. But it's not working out very well, as you can see. I'm trying, though.

**Answer to last QotW:** _Burger King for the win, peeps. McD's has a salt obsession, I tell you. They load salt in everything. EVERYTHING. I used to like it better as a kid, but even then I thought it was pretty salty. And BK burgers are good. So... BK._

**Fact about me:** _I hate social gatherings, for the most part. Like the one my mom arranged yesterday to celebrate my twin sis and I graduating middle school. Biggest pro: I got a lot of money._

**Anime/Manga Recommendation: **_One Piece. I would do another anime, but I'm so effing tired, I don't want to go too into it. And since most of you have heard of OP, and I've talked about it a lot, I won't have to go too deep into it. If you didn't already know, OP is an anime about a boy named Monkey D. Luffy (even in English dub, they keep the last name-first name thing, it doesn't make sense the other way around) that aspires to become the pirate king, as he promised his childhood hero, the powerful pirate, "Red-Haired" Shanks, keeping special care of the straw hat given to him by Shanks. (If you've seen Fairy Tail, many people call Gildarts the Shanks of FT) As a seven year old, he ate what's called a Devil Fruit - a magical, terrible-tasting, fruit that grants you a power when you eat it, at the cost of becoming a "hammer" in water. When you're a "hammer", as result of a DF, you are powerless/weak to salt-water, and sink like a HAMMER in water. Since most people who eat DFs are pirates, that's a pretty heavy price to pay. Anyway, the ability Luffy's DF gave him was becoming a "rubber man" - he's made of rubber. It's cooler than it sounds, honest. Along the way of his journey, he meets many other people - princesses, fishmen, marines, and other people that will become members of his crew._

_The big thing that this anime taught me was the the world is NOT black in white. You'd think pirates would be bad guys and the marines (That work for the World Government and hunt pirates) are good guys right? Not in One Piece. There are bad and good pirates, good and bad marines, and good and bad people in general. _

_4kids was the company that first brought OP and other anime to the US in the early 2000s. But they butchered all the anime, as well as the Italian cartoon Winx Club (yeah, it's Italian). So, after their license was revoked, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of OP, as well as Toei Animations, personally approved the company AND THE VOICE ACTORS of OP: FUNimation now dubs and licenses OP. They're awesome._

**Do you want me to give character synopses of the Straw Hat (the name of Luffy's pirate crew) members? And other big characters?**

**Book Recommendation: **_I think I made the anime recommendation too long, and I'm tired guys. Sorry - next week. I'm really sorry guys._

__**Uh... I think that's it for now.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't effing own Naruto, okay? *crying in the corner* Continue to shatter my dreams, why don't you! BTW, who read chapter 631? That was pretty good, huh?

**AND THIS TAKES PLACE AFTER HANA AND ITACHI'S MEETING!**

* * *

Chapter 29: Puppy Love (Pun)

* * *

**Kiba POV**

_I can't believe her! How can she possibly still have feelings for a bastard like that?!_

Here I was. Muttering to myself angrily like I was insane, walking around the hospital, with Akamaru beside me.

Earlier in the afternoon, when Hana visited, she looked distant. She was spacing out often, blushing and smiling sometimes,**(1)** and I couldn't help but think of the last time she was like that.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

The last time she acted like this, she was head-over-heels for… **_Itachi_.** Does this mean… that she likes someone different now?!_, I thought._

_I grinned widely. "So, do you like somebody, Sis?"_

_She snapped out of her daze and looked at me funnily. "Huh? What makes you say that?" Her face reddened._

_My grin remained. "Relax. It's just you, me, and Akamaru. Kankuro's out getting examined and he won't be back for a while," I said, reassuring her that we won't be overheard by anyone, such as my aforementioned hospital roommate. _

_"N-no, Kiba. Again, why?"_

_I was confused. _She doesn't like anybody?

_"But… you were smiling, blushing, and daydreaming like the way you do when you like somebody," I said, avoiding mentioning that Itachi was the only crush of hers that I knew of. Probably her only one, period. "I thought that…"_

_I looked down. _I was wrong?

_"Oh, I was just thinking about-… um… the shoujo manga I've been reading recently. It's really good, and the romance between the two characters isn't very cheesy, but still adorable."_

_I looked at her with a deadpan expression, knowing she was lying. I looked at Akamaru. If he was human, he would've had the same face._

He doesn't buy the bullshit either… if it was just a shoujo manga she was reading, she'd be squealing and talking to Mura all about it in her room like a little girl. And I would opt to sleep over at Shino's, able to hear them when I was sleeping. Or trying to.

That's not the case this time.

_I took a breath, deciding to enter dangerous territory. _It's time we talked about it anyway… oh my God. I sound like Mother!

_"Sis… it's time you found somebody, though. You're 19 and have been single your whole life. Aren't you lonely?"_

_She flinched. "Who are you, Mom? And I don't need a man to be happy right now, Kiba. I'm perfectly happy with my job, you, our family, and our friends."_

_Akamaru barked, presenting that he wasn't satisfied at all with that answer._

_"But when was the last time you've gone on a date? I know a lot of guys ask you out, Sis, but you refuse every one of them! HowIknowisnotimportant!" I quickly snapped the last part when my sister opened her mouth to reply._

_"You're lonely, Sis… I know that. I also know that you __**want**__ to be loved, to have a boyfriend, and do all the stuff that couples do. I can see your longing when you look at Shisui and Mura together. Why don't you let yourself be loved and give other guys a chance?"_

_She stayed quiet for a moment, not looking me in the eye. "Don't tell me that you still… love _**Him**_." I scowled._

_Akamaru growled lowly._

_My sister clenched her fists, and snapped her head up to look at me. "So what if I do?!" I was stunned._

_But soon, I regained my composure, raising my voice to match my sister's. "Why?! Why _him_ of all people? After everything he's done to you?! He's not worth it, Hana, you can't continue loving him-"_

_"It's not like I have a choice on who I love!" She yelled at me, interrupting what I was saying. I snapped my mouth closed. I was shocked, and as ashamed as I am to say it, scared._

I can hardly remember the last time she ever yelled at me…

_"Love doesn't work like that, Kiba…" she continued, softer. "You don't choose who you love, and sometimes, it may seem like it won't work out between you two and it's not always requited._

_"Sometimes, people __**could**__ fall in love again, with somebody else," she said, reminding me of the time I asked her if it was possible, years ago. "But I don't think it's possible for me. And I'm okay with that…"_

_My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to comment, but she interrupted me again. "Even if I could start everything over again, I wouldn't change me being in love with him."_

_I saddened. _How can Sis let herself get hurt like this?

_She touched my cheek, tilting my face up to face hers. "Listen, little brother. I just can't give up my feelings for him, no matter how hard I've tried, and I'm satisfied with that fact. I can't imagine myself with somebody else, either. I **have** gone out with other guys, but I just couldn't help but imagine _him_. It felt __**wrong**__ with them. I can only be with him, and that's all there is to it. I'm sorry it hurts you all, especially you, little brother. _

_"So try not to worry about it, alright? There's no changing it. I know you guys do this because you love me, but nothing will change._ _Kami-sama must have a reason for everything, right? Whether that reason ends up in us together or not, I'll always love him."_

_She kissed my forehead, then Akamaru's. "I love you guys, too, okay? Don't forget that."_

_She stood up, gathering her things. "I must go. I'll see you tomorrow."_

_With one last squeeze to my hand, and a wave, she left._

_Seconds later, Kankuro entered. He raised a brow. _"What's wrong?"_, the message said._

_I shook my head. "I'm going to take a walk around the hospital, 'kay?"_

_I didn't wait for an answer._

* * *

**END OF FLASHBACK**

* * *

_Of all the people in the world, my sister had to fall for that bastard, and get her heart broken over and over because of it. What'd she do to deserve this? Huh, Kami-sama? Why?!_

"Ouch!" My head whipped to the direction of the feminine voice.

It came from a hospital room next to me. It had its door open.

Inside, it appeared that a girl with jet black, maybe shoulder-length hair, had fallen out of her hospital bed.

I rushed to help her.

"Are you okay?" I said, when she was situated again properly again in the bed against her pillows.

"Yeah, thanks for helping me."

Akamaru leaped onto the bed, up against the girl. "Akamaru!"

"Ooh! A puppy! It's okay."

She held a soft palm out in front of Akamaru for him to sniff. He did, and then he licked it. She giggled.

I smiled. "He likes you."

"I see." She said, smiling as she pet Akamaru. He pressed up against her fondly. _Wow. He __**really**__ likes her._

"So his name is Akamaru?"

"Yeah."

"How old is he?"

"He's-…." I trailed off as she looked up at me (I was sitting in a chair next to her bed, and was taller than her).

What I saw made my breath leave my lungs. _I sound like a character from some cheesy rom-com… not that I watch them… honest. Hana does. With Mom._

She had the most beautiful, changing, blue-green eyes I've ever seen. Actually, they're the only eyes I've seen that changed like they did.

One minute, they're a vivid, deep, electric blue; then they change into a softer teal, like the ocean; then into a vibrant emerald green; then a lighter peridot shade; then into a soft, baby blue, starting the cycle over again.

I didn't understand it, but I was astounded by it.

I also took in the rest of her – she had cute beauty mark below her right eye, on the top of her right cheekbone. Her face was heart shaped.

_She has the cutest dimples…_

Her (jet black) hair was also slightly curly, looking like they wanted to curl into soft, wide, princess curls, but didn't want to put in the effort or something weird like that. It reached just past her shoulders, and her complexion was relatively pale, close to Hinata's skin color.

It was a contrast to my intensely tan skin.

I snapped back into focus when her soft, pink, lips mouthed more words.

"H-huh?" My face reddened. _I can't believe I just ogled her like that!_

"I asked how old he was? Aka-chan?"

"Oh- wait, 'Aka-chan'?"

She pointed to the puppy that was on his back, enjoying a tummy scratch from her other hand. "He doesn't seem to mind, do you?"

Akamaru wined, agreeing with her.

I shrugged. "Alright, then. Akamaru's 8, almost 9, years old."**(2)**

"So like, 20-something in dog years**(3)** or something?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"So how old are you?" I was glad to see that throughout our entire conversation, she's been staring at me intently. Not counting when she gave some attention to Akamaru, of course. _See? I wasn't the only one. She just didn't space out like I did is all…_

"14. I've had Akamaru since I was 5, almost 6."

"Oh!" She said, her eyes lighting up. "I'm 14, too."

"Really? Cool."

She nodded.

For a while, we just talked and talked and talked. I talked about my family, friends, and life as a genin, while she talked about her own family and life.

She had an older brother, who was 20, whom she was very close to. Her parents divorced when she was 11, and her older brother took care of her when her mother, who had gotten the custody of them, wasn't around.

Her older bother didn't look very much like her, with milk-chocolate colored hair, and dark green eyes, as well as tanner skin than hers. Which isn't saying much.

She wasn't very close to her mother, and missed her father, who had left after the divorce.

_"Mom was cold, and standoff-ish. She wasn't very warm when we were younger either, but she was more motherly back then than she was after the divorce. After the divorce, she was out all the time, smoked more, and became… sleazy. Dad was kind, and fun and we always loved spending time with him. But the last I saw of him was when he picked up the last of his things from the house, and I watched his back as he left a week after the divorce was settled. I hadn't seen him since, but occasionally he sends a card or postcard, like on our birthdays and Christmas. We just know he travels a lot now."_ She had said.

Her parents divorced after her father caught her mother cheating on him in their own room. Apparently, she had cheated times before, and promised to change, but finding his wife and a man naked in his bed was the last straw. He divorced her, and fought for their kids, but didn't get them.**(4)**

She was also pretty sickly since birth, and it was only made worse by the divorce. She was born with sensitive lungs, a light asthma, and some kind of disease or something that gave her seizures (those were rare), as well as a body weaker than a normal person's, leaving her almost "fragile" compared to a ninja like me.**(5)**

Her mother's smoking habits made her conditions worse, worsening her asthma. Eventually, she was having enough asthma attacks and seizures that forced her brother to place her in the hospital, for weeks at a time. Whenever the doctors deemed her well enough to leave the hospital, she lived with her brother at his apartment.

She was thirteen when her brother moved her into the hospital, and since her brother was a legal adult by then, he took custody of her and became her legal guardian.

Her mother didn't fight for her, and went back to her sleazy ways, sleeping with men and smoking whenever she could.

She was in the hospital now because she had an asthma attack a week ago. Whenever that happens, she usually stays for 1-2 weeks.

Her brother always supplies her with books and manga to occupy herself with. For her 14th birthday, with some money from their dad that had been sent, her brother bought her a small laptop.

When I had asked for how her brother paid for the medical expenses, she told me that her brother had trained to become a ninja as a kid, and was now a jounin and used his earnings to pay for them. Since she wouldn't let him take the incredibly dangerous but high paying missions, he works part time at a bakery. _"I adore pastries."_ She had told me.

_"I wanted to be a ninja, but my body was weaker than the other kids' and my father didn't want to risk anything."_

I asked if she had a hobby. _"Reading and anime, mostly. But, since I was a kid, I liked to sing."_

I questioned if she wanted to go pro with it. _"Not particularly. I'm satisfied singing for my brother, and occasionally in the park. I don't know if I would accept an opportunity to become famous, though, in the once-in-a-billion chance of that happening. I don't like the attention many celebrities receive, and to be honest, I kind of feel sorry for them. I also don't want to leave my brother."_

When I convinced her to sing for me, I was blown away. Her voice was soft and airy, but also light and strong. It reminded me of bells, and it was absolutely beautiful.

She sang "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls, **(6) **one of her favorite songs of all time. _Hinata likes that song, too… I can see why._

Akamaru and I were too stunned to reply, at first.

But when we did, I told her the truth. _"That was very possibly the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. How the hell can you call yourself an amateur?!"_

Cue modest and humble protest from her.

When I laughed at her protest, she pouted and hit me with one of her pillows.

We continued to talk even more, and I even told her about the fight I had with my sister, she had heard about Itachi, so I didn't bother to hide him.

I asked what she thought I should do.

_"… Well, that's hard. All I can say is… I guess, is… Let her be."_

I was shocked. _"What do you mean? I should let her heart get broken?!" _I didn't mean for it to sound like an accusation or anything, but… that's how it came out.

_"Of course not! It's just-… don't you want her to be happy? If she finds happiness in him, even when he's not with her, then I think you should let her be happy."_

I didn't speak, taking it all in.

_"If it was my brother… Of course, I wouldn't want him to get hurt, but I'd also want him to be happy. He's an adult, too. He knows what he wants. And if your sister wants Itachi, then you should let her be, and help her if you could. Though it's unlikely they'll get together, just try and make her happy, and not try to discourage her love for him."_

After a moment of thinking, I realized she was right. _I can't believe I couldn't think of that before! I just want her to be happy… I guess I was so stubborn I was more focused on her not getting hurt anymore by Itachi, and didn't even think about what she wanted and her happiness._

_"You're a great guy, Kiba-kun, and I understand your sentiment. But sometimes, things happen that we can't help, and we can't always protect those we love right? We have to let them fight their own battles."_

_"Thanks. It means a lot."_

_"Your welcome."_

We spent more time with each other, getting to know the other, and soon the sun had set. _"I have to go. Bye."_ I said, standing up, and motioning Akamaru to come along.

I had made it to the door before she called me.

"Wait! Kiba-kun!" She motioned me over.

When I walked over, I realized I had forgotten something very important.

I facepalmed. "I can't believe myself. I never asked for your name."

She giggled. "Now that I think about it, I never told you, did I?"

I shook my head.

"It's Mitsuki. The 'mitsu' part meaning 'honey'; my father loves honey.**(7)** Will you visit me again, Inuzuka Kiba-kun?"_ Her name fits… she smells like honey._

I winked, then smirked. "Of course, Mitsu. Tomorrow, if I can." _Suave, me! Cool reply, and successful attempt at throwing in a nickname! I am so cool. _

She brightened. She pulled me down and hugged me. I hugged her back.

"You're one of my first friends, Kiba-kun!"

Then, she kissed my cheek. My face reddened instantly, and I felt like I was on fire.

I walked back over to the door, dazedly, holding my cheek with one hand.

I turned when I got to the door frame, gaining my composure, I smirked, and winked back at her as she waved goodbye to me.

I walked with a hop in my step on the way back to my room, after seeing her blush in reaction to my wink.

Then, Akamaru had to ruin the mood. He barked to me, rolling his tongue... in a really weird way that I didn't know was possible for dogs.

_"You lllllllike her!" _I translated.

I grumbled, reddening. "No I don't! And you've been watching too much Fairy Tail! You aren't a fucking blue cat with wings!**(8)**"

He dog-snickered and hurried to his room.

_Damn mutt._

* * *

**(1): **_She's acting like this because she met Itachi a day or two ago. 'Kay? She's basically in love with him "all over again". That's why._**  
(2): **_Yeah. In canon, Akamaru's actually like 9 in human_ years.**  
(3): **_I changed the human years-dog years thing. So instead of 1 human year = 7 dog years, it's 1=2-3 years. 'Kay? I didn't want Akamaru to be very old... I wanted him to live as long as possible for a_ dog.**  
(4): **_It's not very often that the father gets the children in a divorce. Like with my dad, his first wife, and my half brother, my dad had a steady job and income, a house, and all that, while his first wife didn't have a job, and was living at other peoples' houses, with a couple other kids to take care of, too, if I remember right. She got the kids. Well, my half-bro, which was who they were fighting-ish over. (I don't hate her, so don't get that impression. I don't even remember_ her)**  
(5):**_ Basically, she has a weak body, asthma, and occasionally gets seizures. I didn't want to go real in depth about her_ illnesses.**  
(6): **_I don't own them. And I love that song. I love Kellin Quinn's cover of it almost as much._**  
(7): **_Yeah, I named her after honey. Mostly inspired by "Honey" from OHSHC. I don't know why I decided to name a character after honey and "Honey"... I just did._**  
(8): **_Total Fairy Tail reference. Specifically to the character Happy. I think his seiyuu's (Japanese voice actor) birthday was today or yesterday or something._

**I hope you guys liked the chapter!**

**Question of the Week: **_Any special plans for the summer?_

**Read, review, and recycle!**

**The 3 R's!**

**Love,**

**Cherry.**


	30. Chapter 30: Troublesome Revelations

**Sunday, June 16th, 2013.**

**Happy Father's Day!**

**Thanks for the reviews, as always!**

**Today is a ShikaTema chapter. 3k+ words of ShikaTema. Be glad.**

**Obviously, I haven't been updating weekly yet. I don't have the time. My mom's determined to keep us away from the computer whenever she's awake. (She works night shifts so she sleeps in the day really often).**

**And Friday was torture. I spent 8 straight hours, from 11:30am-7:30pm getting my computer fixed at home with a total of 3 techs over a computer chat thing that techies do. Bless them, they worked hard and fixed my computer's printing problem. **

**That wasn't even what we called them for, by the way. But because they fixed that problem, we didn't need them to do what we called them for.**

**Anyway, it was 8 hours spent, awake, bored, and uncomfortable (because I was on my floor upstairs w/o a choice for most of it) and after it was all over and dinner, I only had 1.5 hours to do what a wanted with my computer. For me, that's not really long.**

**Anyhoos, away from that torture.**

**Answer to last Qotw: **_Nothing, really, for once. Just ComicCon next month, and possibly visiting my Grandma in Orange County, whom we visit every year because she's 6 hours away. That's it though. Oh - and watching a lot of short anime, and starting new longer ones. I finished an anime this week, and watched _5cm Per Second_ just a while ago._

**Fun Fact: **_I don't speak my parents' two native languages, Gikuyu and Swahili. I plan to learn them eventually, though - it's written in stone. Same goes for Spanish because it'd help in the future. And Japanese because I want to. IMO, Japanese comes to me way easier than any language I've tried. Even more so than Turkish (one of the two languages offered at my school because our staff's mostly Turkish) that I had for 1/2 a semester, which was kinda easy._

**Recommendation(s):** _I'm combining them now. They take too much space. I'll do either or both an anime recommendation or book one. This one's an anime, though.  
_Psycho-Pass:_ An anime about the future world of Japan, taking place around 2110, I think. (they didn't say the year, but the main character seemed around 20 and was born in 2095. In that future, even being able to measure someone's mental state and their likelihood of future crime is able to be told by machines, called a Psycho-Pass. Everyone must maintain a good Crime Coefficient, Psycho-Pass, and Color Hue or they will be targeted by the government. Believe me, the more you know about that world, the more you won't want to live in it. If it your Crime Coefficient reaches over a certain number, you'll be labeled a criminal and could possibly get killed even if you haven't done anything yet. The main character is Akane, an officer who works for the part of the government that "takes care" of people that could become threats to the society or are threats. However, it's not like she seems and it changes her._

_It really is a fantastic anime, with 22 episodes. Really great. And it struck me right in my heart - epic. One of my Top 10 now. The character designer is the same person that created Katekyo Hitman Reborn, for fellow fans out there. So many characters resemble others. One of the bigger bad guys is like a combination of Mukuro, Byakuran, and his own little twist in there. One of the more major characters looks a lot like Hibari, and a bit of Xanxus, though they're nothing alike. Akane herself resembles Haru and Yuni. A girl's name reminds me of another in KHR: (last-name-first-name) Sugawara Shoko - Sasagawa Kyoko. They're nothing alike, though._

_And another character reminds me a ton of Kyoya from OHSHC._

_Anyway, Psycho-Pass is great and really worth the watch. However, I warn you of some blood and a bit of gore. I watched it this week._

**Since it's father's day, Minato's going to do the disclaimer. And so will Iemitsu because he's a father (Tsuna) and his birthday was yesterday.**

**Iemitsu and Minato: EOC doesn't own Naruto. If she did, she would've given development to more characters. Happy Father's Day! Give you dad and/or father figure a hug or a call or a card or a prayer or something, whether's he's alive, dead, in jail, or you don't consider your actual dad a father and instead someone else is a father to you, or something. **

**Me: If you wouldn't mind, I recommend a little something to read for Father's Day. It's short and in the Bible. Luke 15. A chapter about a father's unconditional love for his son. This goes for those of you who don't have anyone to think of as "Father", too, whether or not you believe in God or the Bible or are Christian. If you can, just read it. You can find the entire Bible on the internet, too, so you don't have that excuse. Even if you don't believe in God, he's one Father that you'll always have, alright? Just wanted to let that out.**

**In church today, all the fathers lined up and anyone, mostly kids, who hadn't felt the love of a father before went up and got a hug from all of them. It made me cry. Even more so because I actually knew a couple of the kids.**

**Alright, time for ShikaTema! Read on!**

* * *

Chapter 30: Troublesome Revelations

* * *

**Shikamaru POV**

_I can't believe this. How did this happen?_

Actually, I knew _exactly_ how it happened.

_Exactly_ how Temari and I ended up in my room, playing shogi – rested and out of the hospital.

Here's how it happened:

Apparently, for the first 2 days in the hospital, I was unconscious. Completely.

Totally out.

Like a light.

From the moment I feel a sleep on her supple thighs.

_... Forget I said that._

Anyway.

I woke up the evening of the 3rd day of the hospital.

During those 3 days, while I was asleep, my parents visited the hospital room that I somehow shared with Temari.

Why did we share it? Dunno. Guess our injuries were similar enough or something, so we'd stay for the same length of time, more or less. I don't know how hospitals work that out.

Regardless, during the visits, my parents became acquainted with Temari and decided they liked her. (The girl was only out for a couple hours, damn her.)

So I woke to quite the surprise that evening of the third day to find my father and Temari chatting it up like best buds without a care in the world.

Even worse? Temari's smart, so she kept up with most of what my dad said. She's also familiar with politics –hello, daughter of the _late_ Kazekage, here- so she kept up with my dad's political talks, too.

Then, when they noticed I was awake, they turned and said hi like I didn't just see one of the weirdest sights of my life.

My dad talked with me for a bit, and all that, and made a ridiculous comment as he left, saying, "Nice catch there, son. Perfect for a Nara like you," in my ear.

At the door, he chuckled at my reddening and mortified face saying, aloud this time, "Your mother would've said worse," and left.

Just like that.

* * *

Because of the events that transpired in the hospital, it was only natural that the moment Temari and I were discharged that mother would invite her and her brothers over for dinner, as well as Matsuri and Baki if they wished.

(By the way, we were in that hospital for 2 more days. It's been 2 _more_ days since we got out.)

Fortunately or unfortunately, Kankuro had to go do God-knows-what with Baki, so those two were out. Gaara couldn't leave the hospital yet, and Matsuri wanted to stay with him. Gaara wanted her to stay, as well. _Temari thinks something is going on between those two. I don't really care but I can't imagine_ **Gaara**_ of all people liking a girl or anything like that. That's just me._

Mom invited Chouji and Ino if they wanted to come, but Ino was too heartbroken at the Yamanaka manor because of what happened to Sai last night**(1) -** not that the adults knew that. The Konoha 12, as Iruka-sensei called it, as well as our beloved friends from the Sand, knew what happened. And all of our sensei, too. The parents weren't told yet. It was likely that they didn't know who Sai _was_ in the first place.

So as far as our parents knew, Ino was really depressed and they didn't want to bother her.

Chouji, after learning it was just going to be him, Temari and I, backed out with some lame excuse. I don't know why – it almost seemed like an Ino-like, move: to get Temari and I alone.

Which is moot because my parents would still be here.

So it was just the four of us.

Mom cooked my favorite, mackerel and kelp**(2)**, and kept up conversation at the dinner table.

Not that she needed to – Temari was there.

She asked Temari a lot of questions – "How old are you?" "When's your birthday?" "Had any boyfriends?" "How much younger are your brothers and your friend to you?" "What's your favorite time of the year in Suna?" "What do you think of my son? Would you date him?"

The last one made me choke on my mackerel, and my dad gave me a glass of cold milk to wash it down.

"17." "August 23rd." "A couple here and there." "Kankuro's a year younger than me, Matsuri's two years younger, and Gaara's three." "Spring or Fall – they may be short, but it warms up after winter and isn't scorching hot quite yet; or in Fall's case, it cools down after summer for winter, but isn't cold yet. And it's windy – I like windy seasons." "He's a smartass; lazy; and an unmotivated beanpole, but admirable I guess when he pulls through. No – I'm not into kids who are younger than me and smartasses piss me off."

I have to admit, though – I was blushing as she answered the last question, though for some reason, a little ticked at the last part of it. I was also a little irked when she mentioned boyfriends, too. But why? _She's seventeen, and I'll admit she's quite pretty, so… it's no wonder she's had boyfriends. Why am I… angry then?_

Maybe I was a bit jealous but the modest amount of male pride I _do_ have –_not everyone could have egos like Sasuke's and Neji's_– wouldn't allow me to admit that.

Not that I let that show.

_I think._

My mom was giving me a weird look that Ino gives me sometimes, when Temari is ever brought up in a conversation. And with Ino around, it's a common occurrence.

Dad is giving me a similar look, the kind Chouji tries not to show when, again, Temari are brought up in a conversation.

Temari seemed to be oblivious, though, thank God.

* * *

After dinner, Temari insisted we play shogi, and my mom insisted it happen in my room of all places.

My dad and I have a _room_ in the house we play shogi in. But _nooo_. It must be my bedroom.

Why? I dunno. She's a woman. Women are complicated. And you don't say "no" to Mom.

As she closed the door –locking it– she said, "Have fun!"

Then, I understood. _My mom's setting us up._

If Temari realized this as well, she didn't show it.

She moved the shogi board between us on the floor. "Are we gonna play or what?"

I complied, sighing. _Might as well have fun, right? Troublesome women..._

* * *

In the end, we played 3 long games and I won all of them.

Duh – I've only ever lost to my dad. That guy is unbeatable, I swear.

_But_ – Temari was-... _is_ definitely my most formidable player, aside from my dad.

She was the 2nd best player I've ever had, almost as good as me. _1__st__ is Dad, of course._

But the weird thing was, aside from being a great player, she seemed to almost be used to my playing style.

She was able to thwart a few or my more basic, early moves, as if she knew them already, or was familiar with them. _Asuma can't even do that. Bu then again, he might just be bad at playing. Compared to me at least._

She also lasted longer than anyone ever had against me without winning, all the while playing like she'd done it -against me- thousands of times.

Not to mention, when I played her, it felt like I'd done this before. It was vaguely familiar to me.

In result of our strange familiarity with each other, the 3 games we played lasted twice as long as they did with anybody else that was decent. _Mostly just Sakura and my dad. Sakura wasn't all that good because she didn't play much, but she's smart, so she was still pretty good for a beginner. I already said that my dad has always beat me._

We didn't know each other all that well, and I've never played shogi with her before. So how did she do it? _Why was this hapenning?_

So, I asked.

Her answer?

_"I dunno. Maybe while we were training I got used to your fighting and strategic style and subconsciously applied it while playing you? Who knows. Maybe you're rubbing off on me or something."_

It almost felt like she was hiding something from me. But whatever the case, I didn't really buy that excuse. I don't have a better one, but I just couldn't believe it for some reason.

So for a little while, after the games, we just laid on the floor, telling each other bits and pieces of our lives for God-knows-why.

I told her about growing up with Ino and Chouji, and ditching academy classes with Kiba, Naruto, and Chouji.

She told me about the days before Gaara's change, and how good Matsuri's cookies are.

We laid there for about an hour, telling each other about ourselves and felt completely comfortable with it.

I grew more comfortable with her, and enjoyed it.

A lot. Way more than I should've.

I even _smiled_ and _laughed_ a lot._ Not that I never do that, but talking with her for that short hour was just so much fun..._

I also realized then, I enjoyed all the time we spent together before, even while training.

And that maybe… _just **maybe**_**…** I was growing feelings for her.

Somehow.

Or maybe I already started.

But the point is, I have a crush, whether I admit it or not.

_FML. __**Her**__ of all people… she's the most troublesome girl I know!_

And even if it was just hormones that made me think I had a crush on her, I really **_do_** care about Temari, even though she's a bitch sometimes.

Proof?

The mountain of relief I felt when I saw that she was okay when I woke up in the hospital.

The desperate thought in the back of my head while we were fighting Tayuya to _make sure Temari stays safe_.

The fact that I think of her as a good friend, somewhere in my head.

Or heart.

Whatever.

It's in my being somewhere.

* * *

Anyway.

After that wonderful hour of talking to each other, I yawned loudly and took a look at the time.

It was 12:13. Pretty damn late.

Not to mention, judging by the lack of light coming from under my door, and the silence in the rest of the house, my parents had already retired for the night.

"Well. I guess that means you're staying the night, then," I commented.

"It's fine, I could get home on my own," She said, standing up, popping her back in the process. _"Damn,_ that felt good."

"It's dangerous for a teenage girl to walk home alone at this time of the night, and your apartment is close to the, uh… less desirable parts of the village. You're not as familiar here as you are in Suna, I doubt you have your key, and Kankuro may not be home for all you know. And if he was, he'd definitely be asleep."

She looked at me oddly. "How'd you know I didn't have my key?"

I shrugged. "Lack of jingling sounds or the sight of them while in the hospital and here, and I just had a feeling, is all."

She frowned. "Well, you're right. I gave my key to the blacksmith yesterday because I bent it. Crap…"

She looked to the floor for a moment and then jumped on my bed. "Guess I'm staying here, then. Got any extra blankets?"

"In my parents' room. Why?" I replied from my private bathroom, as I changed out of my clothes and into the shirt I wear to sleep, leaving my boxers. _If she sees me in my boxers, I don't care. They're just like shorts, so whatever._

"I'm gonna sleep on the couch, duh."

"No, you're not." I stepped out of the bathroom, tossing my old clothes into the clothes basket in the corner of my room.

"Where then? And why not?"

"Here, I guess. A guest shouldn't have to sleep on the couch. And I don't feel like sleeping on the couch either because that requires going downstairs and I don't want to. Not to mention, the extra blankets are in my parents' room and they're sleeping."

"So we're sleeping here together then?"

My face warmed, and I turned the other way. "Guess so," I muttered.

I went back to my closet, throwing a shirt and a pair of shorts at Temari.

"One of my dad's old shirts and one of my shorts. You can wear them to bed. I don't know of the shorts will fit you though."

She took them, walking toward the bathroom to change. "Thanks."

"Yeah."

Before I closed my closet, I took out an extra pillow I had, fluffed it, and placed it beside mine as I climbed into bed.

Of course, I remembered to take my hair out of its ponytail.

_It's a kind of small bed, but I think we'll both fit._

When Temari came out of the bathroom, I had to hide my surprise at her appearance. _She looks so-…!_

"Where can I place these?" She said, talking about her own clothes, folded and resting in her hands.

The shirt was baggy on her, the short sleeves almost reaching half-way to her elbow, and the hem of the shirt reached to her thighs.

The shorts were a bit tight, and almost reached her knees.

Best of all, her hair was down.

All in all, one way or another, she looked hot.

Somehow.

_I_ **do**_ have hormones, you know… and they're running thoughts through my head that make me think this is puberty's punishment._

I averted my eyes from her figure, trying to keep my face from looking like a tomato.

"You can put them on my desk over there," I said.

Afterward, as she walked toward the bed, she said. "The shirts big, but that's good because I to where large shirts when I sleep. And the shorts are a little tight around the thighs, but they're fine. Who knew your size is close to mine?" She laughed.

"Y-yeah… who knew…" I turned off the lights from the switch near my head.

* * *

As we laid in the darkness, both of us still wide awake, a thought popped into my head and I pulled an Ino.

Or a Naruto.

Still works.

"Have you ever slept with anyone before?" I blurted, turning red immediately. _Thank God__ it's dark in here!_

She turned to me, giving me a weird look.

Well, I heard her turn to me, and I felt the look burning into my back. I wasn't facing her.

"… I sound like Ino, don't I?" I was absolutely mortified – _that wasn't supposed to come out! And_ **WHY**_ would I_ ask_ that?!_

"Yeah, you do. But yes, I have. Once."

My eyes widened, and I turned on my side to face her as well.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He was my boyfriend at the time, and the only one I could've ever honestly liked. Or had the possibility of 'loving', as Matsuri would say. It's still true though."

I gave her a look that said, _"keep going"_.

She sighed. "The two of us were really stressed out, and I asked him. He's the modest type, so there's _no way_ he could've come up with something so forward. He accepted, though, and we were each other's first. I was 16 at the time, and he was nearing 18.

"Though we still cared about each other afterward, even more so because of what happened, that night helped us realize we just didn't feel for each other like a couple should: romantically. We were honestly just really close, and kind of intimate friends. So mutually, on good terms, we decided to break up and stay friends. Not to mention, while we were together, he was actually in love with someone else. They'd been friends since they were like 8, or something."

"What?! He dated you while actually being into somebody _else?!" What the hell?!_

"Yeah. I wasn't angry though. I would've normally, don't get me wrong. Her parents tried to get her into an arranged marriage with some (mostly older) rich guys –how old fashioned of them, right?– and unfortunately, because he wasn't rich, her parents never considered him an option. They're kinda controlling, too. She wasn't allowed to date anyone that wasn't a suitor they picked. And most of her friends had to belong to a well-known or wealthy family, those controlling bastards. He was one of the only friends she picked herself, and one of the closest, aside from one of her girlfriends."

_Wow… that's gotta suck._

"So, to try and get over her, he tried dating me. We knew each other briefly, but we grew close, like we said, during our relationship. But in the end, he couldn't get over her, and when we broke up, I helped him try to win her -as well as her parents- over.

"Even though he tried to forget her when we started dating, he kept up the art business he started before we got together, slowly growing bigger and bigger as time passed. When we broke up, I gave money to fund some projects and helped him grow even more. Being the Kazekage's daughter has its perks.

"So the money aspect of winning her parents over was starting to solve itself. I knew, in years to come, that'd he'd be a rich motherf**ker. I pointed that out to her parents. No, I didn't use those words, but similar ones.

"During all that, I tried pushing _her_ to _him,_ because I knew she returned his feelings this whole time. It was obvious. She didn't like me much, of course, at the beginning –I dated that guy she loved, come on– but we became friends. Now they're happily engaged, I'm still friends with both of them, and I got a letter inviting Baki, Matsuri, my brothers and I to their wedding in January. Matsuri's close to the bride, too. And though my brothers weren't fond of him at first, they learned to tolerate him at least by time he and his, now, fiancée. We still talk and to each other pretty often, and Matsuri demands a girl's night once every a few months with her."

"Wow…" was all I could say. _Quite the story there..._

"We were together for five months. Their names are Jentama Hiroto, and Kiyomoto Anya, last-name-first-name format. Those close to Hiroto call him Hiro, like me.

"Today, I still don't regret that night. I don't think he does, either. Sounds like something out of some romance, doesn't it?"

I didn't reply.

This is too much to bother denying, but I'll admit this story made me jealous over that Hiroto. Especially that she never regretted that night she had with him.

Then she yawned and pulled me toward her.

"Wh-what are y-you d-d-doing?" I stuttered, my face heating up immensely. _Thank God it's dark!_

"I'm sleepy and you're a warm mass that will continue generating heat until you die. Get over here."

In the end, we ended up curled against each other – she was facing my chest with her left arm thrown over my waist, and I faced the top of her head, which she told me to put an arm around and pull her closer to me.

Flustered, I asked why.

She sleepily replied. I doubt she would have given such a straight answer if she wasn't so tired. "I'm the oldest so… I held everybody... and had… to be the stronger one… for them… and have only been held… in a way I liked… by… Hiro… since... Mom... died…"

I had to admit the reason had me almost smiling sadly. _She just wants to be held… that's so-…_ cute,_ but sad, too._

So I complied with her request, pushing her close to me while she subconsciously buried her head between my neck and chest, and I placed my right arm behind her back and head. I absentmindedly played with her hair as she fell asleep.

"'Night… Shika…"

"'Night, 'Mari," I whispered. I felt her smile against my collarbone after I said that. I don't know why I did, but it felt right. Good, even. _Maybe I'll start calling her that… you know, when it's just us…_

Soon after, her breathing softened and evened, and I knew she was asleep.

I felt myself struggling to stay awake, so I decided to stop fighting it and sleep.

I buried my head into my pillow against her hair and couldn't help but inhale deeply.

I almost wanted to laugh at what her hair smelled like.

_Pineapples. Should've known. She also smells… kind of exotic._

That didn't make a lot of sense, but I didn't care – I was on the verge of sleep anyway.

But before I _did_ fall asleep, I had one thought.

_I like you, Temari._

* * *

**(1): Sai's operation performed by Jiraiya happened that night. I tried to make sure I told you what happened on what day. If you have any questions and are confused about something, just ask.  
(2): That really is his favorite food. That's definitely something Shika and I **_don't_** have in common - I hate fish, and am not a fan of seaweed. I doubt kelp smells or tastes much better.**

**I made sure to get across that Temari is not the typical girl, and went through some stuff growing up. Like not being held before or something. Yeah, she had underage sex and I don't condone that, but I wanted to emphasize that she's not the conventional teen.**

**She's different, and tough, but weak sometimes, too. **

**That story was another something my sis and I came up with.**

**Question of the Week: **_Short anime recommendations?_

**Bye! **

**Love ya'll!**

**-Cherry**

YOU CAN STILL SEND ME BIRTHDAY IDEAS, YOU KNOW. AND IF YOU WANT, COUPLES YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF.


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